While Victorian trainers generally have a lot of luck at Gundagai, those from across the border have had little to no luck in the Snake Gully Cup since it was first run in 1985.
That changed on Friday as Wangaratta trainer Ben Brisbourne wrote his name in the record books, winning the $100,000 feature with Suparazi.
Ridden by Nick Heywood, who landed his second win in the time-honoured event after helping Zero To Ten to a famous win in 2015, Suparazi was away only moderately from gate six and raced in the second half of the field.
Heywood remained patient as the leaders ran the field along at a decent clip before coming three and four wide as the field turned for home.
The Wangaratta galloper, which commenced the well-supported $3.60 second-favourite, then unleashed a big finish, holding off the Barbara Joseph, Paul, and Matt Jones-trained Belleistic Kids (Jake Barrett, $12) by the best part of two lengths, while in third was the Bjorn Baker-trained Cinque Tori (Robbie Downey, $5.50).
Brisbourne, who hails from Shrewsbury in England, has been training in Australia for just over five years, and he said the plan to win a Snake Gully Cup was hatched when he first visited the track in 2018.
“It’s a super result,” Brisbourne said.
“I came here four or five years ago when I first got my licence and had a second in a Class One race, and I was pretty new to the area and the club, but I came up here, and it was such a great atmosphere.
“I’ve always wanted to come back and have a bit of a crack at the Snake Gully Cup, and when we found the right horse, the planets aligned, and here we are.”
Suparazi proved to be the right horse, with the six-time winner rising to the occasion.
Nick Heywood gave the Victorian a dream ride, and Brisbourne was happy to have the Goulburn jockey’s services.
“Nick has been riding well and consistently for the last 12 to 18 months,” Brisbourne said.
“We try and get him on our horses when we think they suit, so he put his hand up and was more than happy to support us.”
Since notching up his first win at Albury in 2018, Brisbourne has trained 155 winners and is coming off his best season, registering 49 of those victories in 2022/23.
He’s started the new season in fine fettle, adding another 17 since August, and he has tasted a lot of success on both sides of the border, with Albury, Wagga, and Gundagai all happy hunting grounds.
“We’re well positioned, so we can travel horses wherever they need to go, and for example, today (Friday), we have got two here, two at Seymour, and two at Moonee Valley tonight,” Brisbourne said.
“The team at home are doing a magnificent job of preparing all these horses, and I try and put them in the right races, and hopefully, the owners are happy with the results.”
Suparazi is now eligible to contest the 2024 $3 million Big Dance, which will be run and won at Royal Randwick on the first Tuesday in November.
While it is a juicy carrot dangling in front of connections, Brisbourne isn’t willing to commit his gelding to the race until closer to the date.
“I don’t think you can look that far ahead,” Brisbourne said.
“He is obviously a horse that owes us nothing, and it’s good fun coming to these Country Cups, and we’ll just focus on that and look after the horse.
“In 12 months’ time, if it’s a suitable race for him, we’ll turn up on the day.”
Suparazi’s win in the 2023 Snake Gully Cup certainly headlined a massive meeting at Gundagai.
In the second of the features, the Ross Purcell-trained Mr Moppet (Simon Miller) won the inaugural The Tuckerbox.
Click here for all results.
