Inset left: Gai Waterhouse will attend as she looks to win another Bong Bong Cup.
Inset right: Leading picnic jockey Leandro Ribeiro will ride for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
According to Racing NSW stewards, ‘unless something really dramatic happened’, they can’t see any reason why Bong Bong Picnic Racing Club won’t be hosting their famous once-a-year meeting on Friday, November 24.
“Unless they had a freak thunderstorm on the day, I can’t see any reason why they wouldn’t race,” Racing NSW Steward Jim Walshe said after inspecting the Bong Bong racecourse on Wednesday.
“The track is in reasonably good condition with good grass coverage.
“It’s just a (good) three, and with favourable conditions and no hot temps leading up to the meeting, it should remain good.
“Some 20mm (of rain) is forecast next week, but that won’t hurt, and if they did get the rain, it would still be a good surface.
“The track still needs to be mowed, but we’re happy with everything, and in terms of picnic surfaces, it is up there and as good as you will see.”
In terms of picnic and non-TAB meetings, there aren’t many in Australia that can rival Bong Bong in terms of crowd side, quality of racing, and reputation.
It will be Bong Bong’s first meeting since 2019, following COVID-enforced abandonments in 2020 and 2021 and a washout in 2022.
Leading picnic jockey Leandro Ribeiro has yet to ride at a Bong Bong meeting, and he is giving himself every chance, even walking the course with fellow amateur jockey Sebastian Galea back in September.
“It looks good. The grass was a little high, but with the hot weather, they were looking after it so it doesn’t dry, and I’m sure they will cut it before the races,” Ribeiro said.
“I walked around, and everything is level, and it is a lot better than the last time I went to the races in 2019.
“Back then, it was yellow from the dead grass, but this time, everything is green and perfect, and hopefully, everything goes alright over the next couple of days.”
While Ribeiro hasn’t ridden there, he knows what tactics he’ll take into his races next Friday.
“It’s a very good track, with a sharp, short straight,” Ribeiro said.
“You probably want to be on a horse on the pace and don’t want to sit too far off the leaders.”
Ribeiro has won most major races on the NSW picnic racing scene, including back-to-back Picnic Champion Series finals.
Still, the two-time NSW Picnic Jockey Premiership winner said it was a ‘bucket list’ item to ride in and win the Bong Bong Picnic Cup (1560m).
“I am really excited, and since I started to ride the picnic circuit, it’s been a race I really want to ride in,” Ribeiro said.
“The two races you want to win are the Picnic Championship and the Bong Bong Cup.
“I was delighted to win the past two Picnic Championships for Connie (Greig), and now it’s time to win the Bong Bong Cup.”
While he didn’t want to give too much away, Ribeiro will get every chance to live out his Bong Bong dream when teaming up with the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable in next Friday’s $20,000 event.
The Sydney trainers won the race in 2019 with Frenzied, and Ribeiro hopes to deliver connections another victory in the time-honoured race.
“I am riding for Gai,” Ribeiro confirmed.
“They originally had two horses picked, and I was booked last year; they said, ‘You’ll be riding for us, so don’t take any other ride’.
“It will be very exciting as Gai is very popular in Australia, and everyone knows who she is.
“The Bong Bong Cup is a race she likes to win, and I am confident she will try and get the right horse there to win, and hopefully, I am lucky enough to win it for her.”
The Bong Bong picnic meeting is a bucket list event that every racing fan should attend at least once.
The Bong Bong Cup will headline the six-race program, but plenty will be happening on the day, and readers can stay up-to-date with all things Bong Bong Picnic Racing by clicking here.
NSW Country and Picnic Racing will publish more on the meeting and other special guests in the coming days.
