A massive crowd packed Kilmore Racecourse on Monday, October 26 of 1987 (not a public holiday) to witness the running of the Kilmore Pacing Cup.
The race was entrenched in tradition after its inception in 1964 when You Crovottie - trained and driven by the late W.R. (Bill Davies) – clocked a mile rate of 2-16 to win the 300-pound stake feature over 13 furlongs that was to become the greatest provincial trotting race in Australia.
A four-year-old stallion by Grand Scott from the wonderful producing mare Dixie Love, You Crovottie, starting from a 36-yard handicap, defeated 60-yard backmarker Macaree by five yards, with Radiant Tartan (front) four yards away third.
Progressing forward to 1987, a stellar final field was assembled after 28 nominations were received, including champion trotter True Roman.
- Ideal Society (Front)
- Ima Orphan (Vin Knight)
- Bon Marche (Noel Shinn)
- Springfield Rajah (SA) (Lance Justice)
- Bronski Beat (Gavin Lang)
- Garry Lindon (Tas) (2E)* (Paul Medhurst)
- Jay Ar Ewing (Don Dove)
- Bens Image (NSW) (Vic Frost) 10m
- Neat Lad (SA) (John Justice)
- Imathreat (1st E)
- Popular Port (Ross Sugars)
- Vanderport* (Tom Mahar) 20m
- Game Oro (Ken Pocock) 25m
- Quite Famous (Jim O’Sullivan)
** Garry Lindon gained a start when both Imathreat and Ideal Society were scratched.
** Vanderport was a late scratching due to lameness
Adelaide’s Ross Sugars made the trip across with a well-credentialled six-year-old Happy Talk-Port Aachen gelding by the name of Popular Port (a $3,000 yearling purchase) hoping to take the major prize. And that he did, winning in a mile rate of 2-03.8 to add to a list of South Australians who had etched their names into the record books.
Previous winners had been Bon Adios (1966 – Bill Shinn), Globe Score (1971 - Bill Shinn) and Nevada Smoke (1974 – Max Evans for Kevin Dempsey). In actual fact, the Shinn family had been involved in four Kilmore Cup victories as Frank and Noel were successful with Free Vance in 1972.
Here's how the race panned out:
Jay Ar Ewing was best to begin as the tapes released for the $50,000 feature over 3038 metres, with Quite Famous, after a fast beginning, going forward. Lance Justice, aboard Springfield Rajah, pulled out ahead of him to challenge for the front running, keeping Quite Famous posted three-wide as Don Dove had no intention of surrendering the lead. With Jim O’Sullivan driving vigorously, Dove relented and let Quite Famous go, but it had taken some 600 metres to do so with the effort taking its toll later in the race.
John Justice (Neat Lad) vacated the one/one spot after all this happened to dive down and trail Jay Ar Ewing, allowing Ross Sugars the opportunity to slot into the one/one and receive the “run of the race”. Going forward in the last lap to join Quite Famous, who dropped out sharply after running along, Popular Port (4/1) was suddenly in front and drew away to register a five-metre margin over Bon Marche who was always handy. Jay Ar Ewing was a most gallant third eight metres back. The mile rate of 2-03.8 was the second fastest time of the race to date.
There was drama on the return to the all-clear area when both Don Dove (Jay Ar Ewing) and Paul Medhurst (Garry Lindon, fourth) both fired in a protest against Bon Marche for interference on the home turn. The Medhurst protest was dismissed but the Dove one upheld, promoting Jay Ar Ewing to second. Noel Shinn, apart from losing second place, also copped a two-week suspension for causing interference coming off the back straight.
Even though Popular Port - raced by Merv King and Kevin Frances along with Georgina Letts, the mother of leading SA jockey John Letts (who himself held a drivers licence at one stage) - was a convincing winner, many were of the opinion that had John Justice not gone to the fence and be held up at a vital stage, Neat Lad, the former Sunraysia pacer, may have figured in the finish.
It was a huge day for the Sugars family as Ross’ wife Kerry was in attendance with their two young children Greg and Kylie, who have since gone on to make their name in the sport.
Supplementing the program was the $5,000 Adelaide Casino Trotters Cup over 2634 metres, with raging hot 4/7 favourite True Roman (Gavin Lang for Graeme Johannessen), off a 50-metre backmark, proving too classy for his rivals. He defeated Trinket (25m) and Guy Armbro in a track record mile rate of 2-07.9. The margins were two by three metres.
Over the years, the Kilmore Cup has had a number of date changes with another edition to be held this Friday night, September 27.