Rhys Archard can expect several sets of discerning eyes, from near and afar, to be cast in his direction today when his three runners tackle Echuca Racing Club’s New Year’s Eve meeting.
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Archard’s ownership group from today includes a Brownlow Medallist, an Echuca Football Netball Club co-coach and, maybe most importantly, his sister.
Ollie Wines, the reigning Brownlow Medallist, and his father Tony are both in the ownership group of four-year-old mare Dubai Dreaming.
The former Queensland horse will start in the fourth race on the seven-race program, a 1600m BM58.
With only seven starters in the event and Logan McNeil claiming 1.5kg, Dubai Dreaming gets in as the lightest runner in the event.
Archard himself has a share in the horse with the Wineses, having taken over training the horse when it was sold to him by a former Echuca friend, who is now based in Queensland.
Archard said he was not sure which members of his ownership group would be at the Echuca meeting.
Dubai Dreaming is having her sixth race start, having won on debut on February 4 this year, at Ipswich, when trained by dual Group One-winning Queensland trainer David Vandyke.
Robert Heathcote took over training the horse for a period of time before it arrived at Archard’s stable.
Dubai Dreaming had its first start for Archard on November 30 at Ararat, before racing at Benalla, both at long odds.
It was nine lengths off the winner at its most recent race.
In the 1300m Perricoota Station-sponsored second event at Echuca today, Archard has another maiden in Achmosa.
Having its 12th start, apprentice Logan McNeil will again be in the saddle.
Achmosa has a second and four third placings to its credit, the most recent placing at Wodonga two starts back when it was sent out at $4.40 over 1400m, but finished 17 lengths off the winner
Echuca football co-coach Simon Maddox is in the horse, along with former Echuca footballer Rory Kirkby.
Mokgadi, Archard’s remaining starter, is having her ninth race start, in the third event on the card, a 1600m maiden.
The five-year-old mare will be ridden by Will Gordon, having finished third two starts ago, less than a length off the winner at $101, at Wangaratta.
She was then eighth of 12, five lengths off, at Benalla on December 18.
The horse is owned by Archard’s Melbourne-based sister, Bo.
Archard said the predicted hot weather may be a deterrent to some of his ownership group.
As for the chances of his three starters, he said all were well, and fit, and in the right race.
“It’s just whether they are good enough,” he said.
Archard said he did not expect the heat to play a part in the results on the day.
“The club has brought the races forward. Our horses stand in this heat every day, so I don’t expect it to be an issue,” he said.
• Daryl Archard has two starters on the program, the first of those in the opening event of the program at 11.10am.
Sauce Dragon is a three-year-old colt having his third race start and will have Nathan Punch aboard.
Continuing the Archard theme of interesting ownership groups, Sauce Dragon is owned by four Hong Kong-based professional golfers.
A relation of Daryl Archard is a professional golfer and encouraged his colleagues to take a share in the horse.
The opening race is a 1100m maiden.
Archard said Sauce Dragon was a good bet at what he expected would be good odds.
At his last start he was up the front until late in the race, in fact he was third with 400m remaining as a $31 pop, before being overrun.
He finished just under three lengths off the winner at Corowa on December 16.
“He will be a good bet at the odds. He just faded the last little bit, but has come on really well,” Daryl said.
“I am very happy with him.”
Headman, another of the Archard starters owned by Bo Archard, is a four-year-old gelding and the top weight in the third event, a 1600m maiden.
Craig Robertson is engaged for the ride on Headman, having his 12th race start. So far he has had the one second and one third.
“His last run was realty good, he gave them 10 or 12 lengths at the top of the straight and just failed to pick them up,” Daryl said.
Headman’s last start was a third at Wangaratta (on December 11) in a 1590m event.
He finished only 1.2 lengths off in third as a $31 shot after being 11th with 400m remaining.
• Mick Cornish and Donna Gaskin have Choralist in the fifth event, a 1400m BM58 handicap.
Choralist, a four-year-old mare, is having her 14th race start, and has one win and four minor placings so far in her career.
Craig Robertson has the ride on the mare, whose most recent win was at Echuca on October 11 when she stormed home to win by half a length at 8-1.
Choralist obviously enjoys her home track as she was third in her only other Echuca start.
She moved from Rhys Archard to Daryl Archard in August this year and broke through for a win two months later.
Her most recent start was at Horsham on December 19, when she finished more than two lengths off seventh as a $9 chance.
• Michael Newton has the only other Echuca trainer runner with his first starter Sharni’s Choice in the 1000m opening maiden event.
Will Gordon is on board the three-year-old filly, a half-sister to All Too Hard, which won seven of 12 races for $2.2 million in prize money.
Both were sired by Casino Prince, and Newton will be hoping the breeding comes through at the New Year’s Eve meeting.
Echuca Racing Club general manager Garry Armstrong said there were encouraging signs for the meeting, with the Bureau of Meteorology now predicting a top temperate of 38ºC.
He said for those people keen to hang back a little after the final event, the shutters would not be pulled down immediately.
“We wont be shutting up shop at 2.20pm. With that slightly better forecast there will be activity after the last,” he said.
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