Jye McNeil on Reserve Street, who rode his first group one winner in Melbourne yesterday, was crowned winner of the annual Bairnsdale Cup yesterday afternoon after a blistering run at the Bairnsdale Racing Club.
Over 1600 metres and in a time of 1:37.90, Reserve Street, trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, held the outside line for majority of the race and looked comfortable sitting in second position.
The third placed Gold Fields, ridden by Stephen Baster, held Reserve Street at a lengths bay before the winner made its move at the 700m mark.
However, Gold Fields kept pushing and it took until the 150m mark for Reserve Street to make the move into first.
In the final 100m Reserve Street was put under pressure from eventual second place, Heptagon, ridden by Michael Dee, who pushed to within a third of a length at the finish line.
Gold Fields finished just over a length behind.
The action packed day at the Bairnsdale Cup kicked off at 1.15pm with 14 horses competing in the three-year-old maiden plate over 1200m.
Three scratchings tightened up the field although it didn’t stop Rocking Eagle, ridden by Michael Dee, from storming home (1:11.59) one length ahead of the Brian Werner ridden Final Man to claim first place, 1.1 lengths behind was Imperial Lad, ridden by Beau Mertens in third.
Race two, the 1600m maiden plate, went down to the wire once again with Queen of Ascot and jockey, Teodore Nugent, running the race in a blistering 1:39.00, one length ahead of Michael Dee on Quail Hollow. In third was Kate Walters on Fast Foils, trailing by 1.3 lengths.
A three-way battle in the final straight lifted racegoers off their seats as Jason Maskiell on The Egyptian (58.65) secured race three, the 1000m maiden plate, in emphatic fashion.
The race couldn’t be separated in the final strides as The Egyptian won by half a head in front of the second placed, Jye McNeil on Black Draught. Iloveannie ridden by Lewis German was third.
In race four, the BM64 1000m handicap, Princess Flagrant ridden by Jye McNeil, came from nowhere to secure the win, half a length ahead of Brian Park on Cilauro and 2.25 lengths in front of From the Clouds ridden by Michael Dee.
Princess Flagrant was fast out of the gates but dropped to third with 400m to go and at one stage was almost two lengths behind the leader, but in the final sprint stormed up the inside to secure victory in a time of 58.74.
The 1200m Tesbury Jack Sprint was won by a comfortably ridden Muswellbrook as Ethan Brown steered it home to victory in 1:11.08.
Matthew Allen on Terindah finished three quarters of a length behind while No Nonsense Ned ridden by Kate Walters trailed by 3.75.
Jye McNeil on Cavalero won race six over 2000m in a time of 2:06.97, half a length in front of Liam Riordan on Chaba Charli and one length ahead of Havaduel ridden by Dylan Dunn.
PICTURED: Jye McNeil on Bairnsdale Cup winning horse, Reserve Street, crosses the line at the Bairnsdale Racing Club yesterday. Reserve Street chewed up the 1600m course in 1:37.90 a third of a length in front of Heptagon ridden by Michael Dee and just over a length in front of Stephen Baster on Gold Fields.
