The Omeo and District Racing Club will host its traditional Labour Day long weekend meeting at Hinnomunjie this Saturday with the feature race being the Hinnomunjie Cup, the 149th running of mountain picnic classic.
The meeting has a rich history and is steeped in heritage, the club laying claim to being the oldest picnic race meeting this side of the Great Dividing Range, established in 1876.
Originally thousands of people would attend and the event took place over a whole week.
Today the race day is the main social event of the year where horses and fashion mingle with the odd buck’s or hen’s party and always plenty of activities for the kids.
Racing families such as the Matthews, Mannings, Rules and Faithfulls, just to mention a few, have been the cornerstone of this event and some are still involved today.
Mick Mathews was the president for more than 40 years and was famous for having won more than 100 whips in his career for horses he had trained and ridden.
The Hinnomunje Cup, run over 2000 metres, is now named in honour of Alec Manning, a legend of the turf in these parts.
Last years event was won by his son, Sale trainer, Reg and Bonza Boots with Mornington jockey, Rowan Cox in the saddle.
For Reg Manning it was his 29th Hinnomunjie Cup victory, involved 17 times as jockey and 12 as a trainer.
The previous year he trained the trifecta, with the placegetters from that trifecta, Anything But and Sarwatte his likely runners this year, though they are likely to face stiff opposition from all over Victoria and Southern New South Wales.
Entries for this years meeting are exceptional with 95 nominations received for the six event card, including winners on last years card, Centrefoldstar, Wunambal and Jenni of Avalon.
Local trainer, Ensay’s Rob Gillahan will be represented by Wunambal and Doctor Coto, who returned to form at Woolamai last week with an impressive second placing.
Other trainers to follow on the program are Traralgon’s Troy Kilgower who always brings a big muster of runners, Cooma’s Georgie Boucher, Kilmore’s Tyson Barton and Seymour’s Don Dwyer.
The fashions on the fields are always a highlight of the meeting, with all sections hotly contested.
