Travelling show: The 1993 Benalla Gold Cup headed to Wangaratta due to flooding.
History will be written again on Friday, September 29 as the horses jump in the 2023 Gold Cup, but what were the outcomes in times gone by?
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With Benalla’s biggest day of racing just around the corner, it is time to get back in the saddle and look at Gold Cups from 10, 20 and 30 years ago.
In 1993, the Gold Cup travelled away from Benalla as flooding compromised the track conditions, and Wangaratta Turf Club jumped to the rescue.
Cheers: A group having fun at the 1993 Gold Cup.
Ensign reporter Keith Sherwill reported that when the Benalla course was ruled out a week before the running, the Wangaratta club provided exemplary co-operation that enabled the race to go ahead.
Hear That Bell won the 1993 Gold Cup on Monday, October 11 by a small margin.
Benalla trainer Wayne Nichols, who claimed the Victorian Racing Club’s Country Achiever Award this year, combined with now-retired Benalla jockey Geoff Bamford to score with Simple As That in the 1400m Class 5 Handicap.
Looking sharp: Denise Cason finished third in the Fashions on the Field in 1993.
Off the track, it was Seymour resident Julie Kettlewell who won The Best Dressed Lady and took home a $500 luxury hotel voucher and two reserved seats for the 1993 Melbourne Cup.
Ten years later, the Gold Cup was back at the Benalla Racing Club, and Physique took out the top honours.
Winning gold: Physique wins the 2003 Gold Cup.
Some 3700 people descended on the course on an overcast Sunday, October 5 and witnessed the Len Treloar-trained five-year-old beat favourite Rose Archway.
The Gold Cup reached a television audience of 1.1 million viewers, which shows the appeal of Benalla’s premier day of racing.
Lined up as one of the star attractions, Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Damien Oliver had to withdraw late because of the arrival of his new baby.
In 2013, Flying Hussler dominated the Gold Cup and won by five lengths.
It was a rollercoaster of a day for trainer Stephen Theodore, who thought he had chosen the wrong track to be at when his horse Road Trippin’ kicked down the straight to win the Bairnsdale Cup.
Finishing strong: Flying Hussler wins the 2013 Gold Cup.
However, the trainer was ecstatic as jockey Craig Newitt guided the five-year-old home 20 minutes later.
In the Fashions on the Field, former Benalla resident Ashleigh Barri took out the top prize.
The then 27-year-old had been planning her outfit for five months, and her hard work paid dividends as she bested 40 other competitors.
Stunning outfits: The best-dressed women at the 2013 Gold Cup.
Barri had purchased her floral dress in Hawaii in May 2013, and designer John Van Gastel had made minor adjustments.
Barri took home a prize of two return tickets to Auckland provided by Benalla Travel and Emirates airline.
Ten years later, new names will compete on Friday, September 29 while old hands return for the day that holds a special place in their hearts.
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