The Gayna Williams Bathurst trained From The Bush has beaten Reward Seeker by 3/4 length with Toulon Brook third in a time of 1:38 to win the Bankstown Sports Club Forbes Cup over 1600m last Sunday at Forbes Racecourse in wet, gloomy conditions.

With rain and COVID dampening the flagship day, a solid turn-out was on hand all things considered, to watch the “deepest field to ever contest the Forbes Cup” according to caller Col Hodges who was celebrating 50 years as a caller. It didn’t disappoint.

Forbes Jockey Club started with a strong eight-race-card and $270,000 in prizemoney on offer. The record prize money saw some very competitive racing with She’s Smart taking the chocolates in the Shead Nicholson Class 2 Handicap for Claire Lever while Lockdown Gamble won the preceding event.

Yet all eyes were on the main event and jockey Anthony Cavallo rode the five-year-old brown gelding to perfection holding off more fancied rivals on a heavy track that copped more rain throughout the day.

Coming from barrier 14, From The Bush was carrying 55kgs and had brought solid form into the showcase event with four wins from only ten starts to go with two seconds and a third. The horse had never won at this distance having only won at 1400m so the challenge was there to go where it hadn’t gone before and it did.

Sitting among the leaders with the straight in it’s sights, From The Bush scooted to the front leaving challengers in its wake as they headed for the post. The Poet’s Voice cross Endaxi sprinter had just enough to keep a swarm of contenders at bay.

Cavallo was ecstatic with the win, with $22,000 going to winning connections from the $50,000 purse, while second claimed $8,950 and third a handy cheque for $5,000.

Forbes Jockey Club 2021 Forbes Cup is on this weekend in what promises to be one of the best days on the regional racing calendar in recent memory. From stellar fields to packed galleries, the event is sure to be a great day out!

The FJC has been flat out at the track from designing new facilities for female jockeys to new rails and bar extensions – the venue has never looked better according to many and the track is in excellent condition despite heavy rainfalls throughout June and July.

A massive boost in prize money has seen the annual event moved from a Saturday to this Sunday, August 1, for the first time in half a century to accommodate the new status. As a showcase meeting, the event has attracted some excellent competition as well. There’s even a country maiden worth $40,000.

The Forbes Jockey Club has remained in discussions with Racing NSW about COV-ID restrictions, and at this stage the club is all set to welcome locals however the event’s long-time supporters from Bankstown Sports Club won’t be able to attend this year due to the Greater Sydney lock-down.

Tickets can be bought online via 123tix. com.au and secure their tickets early. Look out for the posters around town and scan the QR code for a link straight to the Forbes races options.

General admission is just $10 or $5 for pensioners however there is a VIP marquee where for $120 you’ll get canapes, drinks and a race book.

All events will be run as per the COVID-19 restrictions on the day.

More and more improvements seem to be happening at Forbes Racecourse every week with the Kerry Nicholson Bar and now the Jockey and Stewards rooms getting a makeover. From Forbes Jockey Club volunteers to Shane Sallaway Painting – it’s all hands-on deck in time for the Forbes Cup on August 1.

Since the announcement Forbes Jockey Club August 1 Cup meeting was to be shifted to the Sunday and upgraded to Showcase status, meaning each race carries a minimum of $30,000 prize money, Forbes Jockey Club has been hard at work renovating the facilities in time for the meeting. This has included everything from track and garden maintenance through to the Jockey and Stewards rooms – now one of the best in the country racing.

The Forbes Cup weekend promises to be special despite restrictions. With COVID forcing many events to downsize or post-pone and outbreaks in NSW increasing, tickets however will be extremely limited.

Other highlights of the weekend will include:
• Forbes Cup Calcutta on Saturday July 31 at Club Forbes. Tickets are $40 and COVID restrictions will apply at the venue;
• Forbes Jockey Club has invested an additional $10,000 in prize money on top of what Racing NSW contributes to make the Forbes Cup a $50,000 race;
• Forbes Jockey Club will also host a marquee. Tickets will strictly be limited and at $120 and race goers will have drinks and canapes included;
• Col Hodges, celebrating his 50 years of race-calling, will also be celebrated with a race named in his honour in a real treat for race-lovers and the Hodges family.

For more information on the meeting, or to keep up-to-date with announcements, read-ers are encouraged to follow the Forbes Jockey Club on Facebook. Given the latest COVID developments the event is subject to NSW Health restrictions on the day.

Steve, Josh and Nathan Turnbull may have taken five of the eight races at Forbes Showground on ANZAC Day at the Diggers Cup meet but it was Bernie Hewitt with two wins including the Forbes Diggers Cup that had tongues wagging.

Trained and driven by Hewitt, “Make Mine Memphis” the $1.75 pre-race favourite was always going to be hard to beat and despite the best efforts of Dazzle Me NZ and Maximus Red, the bay gelding won a short head over the two-kilometre journey.

Make Mine Memphis ran the first quarter in a solid 32.7 on what was a good track before splitting the field in the second quarter with a scintillating 28.8!

The Turnbull family meanwhile had a day to remember with five of the eight winners coming from their stable. Steve was the most successful of the trio with three wins and it could’ve been more had he had some luck in the others.

Saint Julien was arguably the pick of his chargers with the $1.15 favourite storm-ing home in the last quarter in 28 seconds – the fastest split of the day to knock off Royal Feeling and Promise to Rock back in third.

Saint Julien pocketed $1,852 for the win in the Forbes RSL Sub Branch Les Findley Memorial and the horse is only going to get better.

Next race meeting is this weekend as part of the Diggers Cup week in Forbes. Gates open midday Sunday May 2 for the Tab Carnival of Cups in what should be a tremendous day of harness racing. Entry fee is $10 for adults with children Under 16 free. Bar and TAB facilities will also be available.

Feature races are the Forbes Diggers Harness Racing Club Final and Jack Honan Memorial Final.

See you trackside!

The huge weekend of show jumping coming up this week at the Forbes Showground will feature strong representation from local Forbes Pony Club riders.

Pony Club president Laurie Norris said that the club members had been working hard training in preparation for the event and are really looking forward to doing their club proud.

“We have over ten members registered to ride at levels from 45cm to jumps over a metre,” Mr Norris said.

“Professionally run events such as Forbes Jumping give our club members a chance to compete against strong fields and to improve their show jumping”.

Forbes Pony Club meets regularly and membership has grown significantly over the last twelve months to over thirty riders aged from four to sixty years. New members are welcome at any time.

“Please come along and see not only our own great riders, but some of the best show jumpers in Australia” says Mr Norris “with hundreds of riders at the showground this is set to once again be a spectacular event”.

In an era where the term legend is bandied about at will, a legend of the country horse racing scene reached a significant and more than likely unmatched milestone recently.

Col Hodges, who began doing phantom race calls at school as a nine-year old, is celebrating his 50th year as a race caller and 50 years since he called his first Bedgerabong Picnic Race Club Cup. The spritely 71 year old shows no signs of slowing down.

“When I attended my first race meeting at 14 at Bedgerabong Picnic Races – 57 years ago, seeing the horses galloping down the straight was one of the most exciting things I had ever seen,” said Col.

“I’m an animal lover first and have called trots longer than horse racing as well as greyhounds in my time but my first horse race was Gooloogong Gallops in October 1970 – one race won by Minibill.”

“Easter 1971 I called my first race meeting.”

Bedgerabong and Forbes remain close to his heart and he has called for over 40 race clubs and does over 100 race meetings a year.

“From Bathurst to Broken Hill and Cowra to Coonamble,” said Col.

While at this stage he’s not thinking about retirement Col says that when he starts to slip that’s when he will “pull the pin.”

“I admire the people involved in this industry, they are great people and animal lovers and gives me more pleasure than calling any race.”

Until this legend of the track draws a close on his illustrious career, I for one can’t wait to see Col up there in the tower named in his honour in 2022. Binoculars in hand, form guide blocking the February sun and the horses bursting out of the barriers like hounds from hell. Must be Bedgerabong…