Cup connects community

Mum Leandra with son Tristyn. (Joe Mastroianni) 311054_14

Not even the stuffy heat of a 30 degree day could rein in the excitement from horse racing enthusiasts attending the annual Werribee Cup.

Werribee resident Michael Stewart said the event provides a good day out for locals, who can “relax, enjoy something to eat, and hopefully try to get a win”.

“We need this in country Werribee, it brings people together, you catch up with people you haven’t seen in years,” he said.

“Everything is sky rocketing, you have to come out every now and then, sometimes you gotta say ‘stuff it, I need a day out, I win or I lose, who cares.”

Despite moving to Drysdale, former Wyndham resident Ken Beament still makes the hour long drive each year to catch the action.

“It [marks] the start of the summer, that’s why I come out, he said.

Vardani, jockeyed by Declan Bates secured the $125,000 Werribee Cup.