Beach Day delivers for Hurrell

By Jonny Turner

Mark Hurrell couldn’t have scripted a more fitting way to secure Group race success than Beach Day’s win in the Champagne Stakes at Wyndham.

The classy mare saved the biggest performance of her career for the Group Three feature on her home track, to deliver the reinsman a career highlight on Sunday.

Hurrell would have been thrilled to win the event at the resurrected Young Quinn Raceway with any horse, but to do it for trainer Craig Ferguson and owners Greg and Vicky Hunter took the feeling to another level.

“It is pretty emotional, to do it for good people like the Hunters and on the home course.”

“It is pretty emotional stuff and a thrill to win.”

Beach Day’s brilliance is the result of teamwork with Craig Ferguson – ably assisted by Hurrell – recently taking over the training of the mare with Greg Hunter out of action.

Hurrell was quick to praise the six-year-old’s breeder-owner and former trainer for his work with the mare.

“Craig and Greg have both been good to me the whole way through.”

“Greg has done all of the hard yards, putting up with this mare for years.”

“We are just the lucky ones who get to put the polish on.”

Hurrell wasn’t praising himself for his drive on Beach Day as she travelled wide throughout.

Though given the race was run at a hectic pace on a testing, rain-affected track, he couldn’t have done much more given he secured cover for her after she was caught wide early.

“It didn’t go the way I thought, I was three-wide the entirety but she is a game mare and she tried hard and wouldn’t let them by.”

Hurrell rounded out the Wyndham meeting in style by guiding Bettor Way to victory in Sunday’s finale.

Earlier on the card, the reinsman had already come close to securing Group race success when driving Captain Wolf into second behind Chiggsy in the Group Three Macca Lodge Kindergarten Stakes.

As thrilled as Hurrell might have been with his win, there were two people on course who were even prouder.

The driver’s parents Ross and Maria were trackside to cheer on their son, as they are at most southern harness racing meetings.

Beach Day completed a winning double for the Craig Ferguson barn after Picasso ran to an emphatic debut victory, with Ferguson in the sulky.

The win came on a big day for the Wyndham club committee who enjoyed plenty of success as owners.

Their club had rallied to resurrect facilities at Young Quinn Raceway in time for Sunday’s meeting following the main grandstand’s demolition after it sustained damage in high winds late last year.