- Venue: Royal Geelong Yacht Club
- 25 Eastern Beach Rd, Geelong VIC 3220
- Time: 6:30pm
- GUESTS OF HONOUR: • GARRY ROBERTS: In 1987, the knockabout Garry Roberts attended Flemington races and watched the champion New Zealander Bonecrusher win the 2000-metre Australian Cup. The last race on the same day was also over 2000m, won by a little-known Queenslander, Vo Rogue, who ran 1.2 seconds faster than Bonecrusher. On February 23, 1998, Roberts paid $180,000 for a 20% share in Vo Rogue. Four days later he had $100,000 on his new acquisition in the St. George Stakes at Caulfield and gleefully watched it triumph. Soon after, the front running flying machine won the Futurity Stakes. Roberts, born legally blind, became a professional punter at age 20. He terrified the biggest of the big bookmakers. His life story is mesmerising.
- • GLORIA GILCHRIST: Our own Briseis Club member Gloria Gilchrist is a pioneering trail-blazer in the world of female jockeys. Of Dutch descent, Gloria was born in NSW, but grew up on a farm in Wynyard on Tasmania’s North West Coast, where she became acquainted with horses. She was keen to be a jockey and opportunities presented themselves after she moved to Singapore with her husband John in 1972. For nearly three years she rode on the Malaysia-Singapore circuit before returning to Australia in 1975 to join the first intake of apprentice “lady riders” introduced by the Victoria Racing Club. Life was tough; the women were not called jockeys and their facilities were poor, even having to use public toilets rather than those in the jockeys room. Another fascinating story.
- • RIC McINTOSH: A true legend of Australian race-calling. Bendigo-based Ric enjoys a cult following with his jumps racing commentary at the time- honoured Warrnambool Grand Annual Carnival each May. He is entertainment personified, unquestionably the most popular equine broadcaster in country racing. He lives a surprisingly diverse life, training a small stable of horses at his rural farm, owns a large share of the crack Paul Preusker-trained Steparty and, believe it or not, is a passionate competing cyclist, even finishing the 2008 Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic over a mammoth 300kms. So exhausted was he over the final 70kms, he dangled an unlit cigarette in his mouth to take his mind off the pain.
- DRESS CODE: Upper-level Casual.