Woolamai Racing farewell Nav for retirement

THE Picnic Racing season at Woolamai concluded last Saturday with a six-race card conducted in unexpectedly fine conditions after early morning rain at the course threatened to make the “going” heavy for both horses and patrons.

Club identity “Duck” Mathieson said he was woken unexpectedly early to the sound of heavy rain beating on the roof of his house near the course. However, by mid-morning the day had transformed into a pleasant afternoon for racegoers and ideal track conditions for racing.

The first race was won by Rivers Reward trained by Glennn Thornell at Cranbourne and ridden by Melinda McDonald which edged out the Kilgower horse Far Too Tempting. 

The win shot the winner into equal first place on the Woolamai “Horse of the Year” premiership with Rue Lepic. 

It was an anxious wait for connections of both horses to see if the only challenger Copthorne could leapfrog them both by scoring at least a second in race four. However, that was not to be, and they have jointly secured the title.

Race two was won by Angel Toff from the well performed Kuroyme and a Kilgower galloper Listen, again in the prize money. 

Apprentice rider Jasmine Trenwith’s first ride at Woolamai was a winner with more success in the offing.

The third race saw popular veteran jockey Ray Douglas boot home Maggie Rocks for an emphatic win, much to the delight of impending bridegroom Clint Johnstone and friends who had also sponsored the race.

The fourth race saw the Barry Goodwin trained ex- NSW galloper Miss Santorini return to a sprint distance of 1008 metres and edge out locals Hawkstone and Ellanova.

The fifth was taken out by the Cranbourne trained Needa Bigger Boat, giving Ray Douglas his second win for the afternoon by a margin of 5 lengths over Ritza Rita, and Tif Tok which had gone out to a commanding lead in the back straight and testing out his rivals but ultimately found the home straight a bit too long.

The last race of the season was taken out by Mast Mira giving Jasmine Trenwith her second win for the afternoon in less than ten rides on the picnic circuit, and has her going at more than one win in every two rides.

Woolamai premiership winners for the season were, Mathieson Family Horse of the Year – shared by Rue Lepic and Rivers Reward, the Cefn and Phyllis Price Trainer of the Year was taken out again by Troy Kilgower comfortably and the Alex Scott and Staff Jockey of the Year was again won by Shaun Cooper from Melinda McDonald.

The season ended with a farewell to clerk of the course horse, Nav who has held the title with Woolamai Racing for 18 years, ridden by owner Cindy Conn. 

Cindy said it was an emotional end to the season, “Nav is one in a million, I brought him out to his first race meeting when he was just four months old and now it’s time for his retirement. I wish I could ride him to the end of my career, he sure will be hard to replace.” 

Nav was recognised for his service to Racing Victoria in an official presentation on the track before the last race. 

Phillip Island Health Hub partnered with the club to run a successful Easter activity and fund-raising day. 

Raising more than $2,000 from the raffle and Secretary Jill Scrase gave her sincere thanks to the Woolamai Racing team for their ongoing support. 

Racing returns to Woolamai on Saturday, December 10, 2023, with further upgrades to facilities on the way during the offseason.