The show ain't over 'til the fat lady sings, and on Raceclubs it is the RP who helps her hit those high notes all night long.
All the hype is centred around the Challenge Series is great... until the day after. Then it’s just like the day after Christmas, the day after the honeymoon or the day after- well, the Challenge Series. All that hype and the races run and someone wins and someone loses and everyone thinks that if things had been different they would be the Challenge Series Winner. If only ...
Fortunately, the party never stops on Raceclubs. If you’re good at it and keep going all night with the RP you can even make some good money out of it. Well, that’s what the fat lady said about the RP but we didn’t want to pry.
Apparently, in the good old days of Raceclubs, there weren’t consolation races and trainers were justifiably miffed that they couldn’t race their supped horses in the Finals. Some trainers argued their horses were better than the actual finalist but never had time to earn enough qualifier points to make the final field. Then there were the arguments that the track wasn’t right, or there was something wrong with the distances or the goings were going to trip their runners, etc, etc, etc. The forums would get quite spirited but fortunately the RP recognised the potential for a new category race that catered for all champions (and potential champions) to compete against each other. Plus there was novelty of racing the juvenile champions against the veteran champions. By Jove, all your horse ever needed was a supplementary fee, two wins and a prayer and it was good to go.
An artist’s impression of Solo’s historic victoryWCD.
(Jul 2003)
The World Challenge Day WFA races proved to be so popular they generated a level excitement reserved for the final race of the season. They’re competitive enough to be prestigious but being the last day of the season one can relax and simply enjoy the opportunity to race their favourite horses against their favourite rivals one last time before the new season begins. It’s the one race where you can resign yourself to the fact that you win some and you lose some... and they help pass the time before the new season begins and a whole new level of competition and financial opportunity presents itself on your doorstep.
It didn’t take long for the GR2 racers to campaign, lobby and politicize the issue of a GR2 Challenge Series, or lack thereof. While the RP rejected the idea of sponsoring a GR2 Challenge Series because it would reduce the budget for sponsoring the Championship Series, he was open to the idea of sponsoring WCD GR2 at the end of each season. Initially this was motivated as a race for the many GR2 horses that were supped in the Sales Ring, but eventually this condition was scrapped- and cleared the way for all horses, regardless if they were supped or unsupped, to enter the World Challenge Day WFA races.
The WCD GR2 is a first for Heinz Huber on One O Sixer!
(Nov 2006)
The World Challenge Day races have become an institution that is proudly Raceclubs. They’re as much a part of our culture as a good curry and watching the Queen on telly; and Raceclubs is always excited to see all trainers racing their horses one last time before the season comes to an end.
Best wishes with all your WCD races, your horses’ age changes and reigning in all your juveniles for next season!
Edward Bell ~ Virtual Horseracing Correspondent
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