Warrnambool Wrap Day 3: High drama in Grand Annual to round out carnival

Liam O'Loughlin

Warrnambool Wrap Day 3: High drama in Grand Annual to round out carnival image

After two action-packed days, the final day of the Warrnambool Carnival didn't disappoint with the running of the Grand Annual and Warrnambool Cup in front of a packed house. 

Roughies dominated the early races on Day 3 at 'The Bool' as the likes of El Diez ($23), Dustland Fairytale ($17) and Dunman ($26) all saluting inside the first five races.

Ashfod Street and Puckapunyal both flexed their respective muscle at benchmark level, proving too strong for their counterparts in their respective races. 

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In the first of the two big races, Vanguard was looking to back up from Tuesday's win in the Brierly Steeplechase as favourite. The hill was packed and the crowd were up and about. Ric McIntosh even delivered his famous line of "how bloody good is The Bool" during the race. 

Unfortunately, there would be no fairytale as the favourite suffered a nasty fall mid-race. Will McCarthy steered Heberite home for a hard-fought victory for the Ciaron Maher stable, giving the trainer his sixth Grand Annual triumph. 

Vanguard and San Remo, who also fell in the race, reportedly were up and walking around afterwards which is a great sign and hopefully both horses aren't seriously injured. Will Gordon injured his shoulder in the fall and was suspended for the remainder of the meeting. 

Witchachar Star took out the 2,350m Warrnambool Cup, taking the lead wide on the final bend to win from Nerve Not Verve, with a long gap to Constantinople in third.

The Chris Hyland-trained gelding jumped at $9 but proved far too strong on the heavy track.

See below for the full results of Day 3 of Warrnambool Carnival. 

Warrnambool Day 3 Results

RACE (DISTANCE) WINNER
R1. Champion Novice Hurdle (3200m) El Diez
R2. Super Vobis 3yo Bm70 Handicap (1400m) Dustland Fairytale
R3. The Standard Bm78 Handicap (1100m) Ashford Street
R4. F&m Bm70 Handicap (1400m) Puckapunyal
R5. Bm64 Handicap (2000m) Dunmam
R6. Neville Wilson Final (1700m) Marchons Ensemble
R7. Grand Annual Steeplechase (5500m) Heberite
R8. Kia Handicap (1400m) Tuvalu
R9. Warrnambool Cup (2350m) Witchachar Star
R10. Bm64 Handicap (1300m) Launch Pad

 

Liam O'Loughlin

Liam O'Loughlin Photo

Liam has been with The Sporting News since 2019, helping lead both NRL and cricket content, as well as delving into the world of combat sports and NFL. A true rugby league tragic, he has spent the past 20 years playing, coaching and volunteering for his beloved junior club, Penshurst RSL. 

Away from work, Liam has a lifelong passion for all things pro wrestling and has travelled abroad to attend showcase events for WWE, AEW and NJPW.