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Post
Office Box 67 Fulham Gardens SA
Phone: 0412 208 011 |
Oakbank
Easter Carnival |
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| This
is the major event of the Oakbank carnival. The course involves three laps of the Oakbank
steeple track taking in the historic fallen log jump at the top of the hill in the 26
jumps of the course. The final jump was well known for falls but in recent times the track
has been improved to increase safety for horse and rider. Multiple winners thoroughout the
history of the event show how well horses can be suited to the course. The race was first
run in 1876 over a distance of 2 1/2 miles and was won by Tormentor ridden by C Harslett.
In the years 1912 to 1915 two horses shared the honours. Vanguard won in 1912 and 1914 with The Tramp winning in 1913 and 1915. Interestingly none of the multiple winners to this time had ever carried the same jockey to victory twice. Flash Jack had already recorded a victory in the 1915 Grand National Steeple before heading to Oakbank for vistory in 1917. In the years from 1918 to 1923 Doiran made the Great Eastern his own with four wins. He won successive races in 1918 and 1919 before doing it again in 1922 and 1923. Mount Cooper recorded successive victories in 1926 and 1927 with Unohoo sharing the 1927 win. In 1941 National Debt won the final Oakbank jumps race for 4 years and went on to win that years Grand National Steeple in Victoria. In 1945 when the race was run at Morphettville over 3 miles the champion jumper Winterset was successful. Winterset was third in the 1942 Grand National Steeple and second in tthe 1942 AV Hiskens Steeple. After his Great Eastern win he was third in the Grand National Steeplechase. 1948 marked the first Great Eastern victory for The Feline who went on to win the 1948 Grand National Hurdle. Two years later he won the Grand Annual before returning to Oakbank to take out the 1951 Great Eastern. In 1950 Parilla's Pride won the Great Eastern and then progressed to Flemington and success in the Grand National Steeplechase. The next multiple winner of the Great Eastern was Kooroshali who was successful in 1965 and 1966 adding to his Von Doussa win in 1965. After winning the Von Doussa in 1971 then heading to Flemington and second in the Grand National Club Spirit was victorious in the 1972 Great Eastern and repeated the feat in 1974. The next horse to complete the Great Eastern-Grand Annual double was Venite in 1983. The 1983 second placegetter in the Grand National was Headford Town and he proved superior in the 1984 Great Eastern. Grand jumper Battle So Big was the 1985 victor before Region took out the race in 1986. Region had also run second in the 1985 Grand National Steeple and was later third in the 1987 Grand National Steeple. Spring Fortune easily accounted for his Great Eastern opposition before heading to Warnambool and doing the same to complete the double. Crowd favourite River Amos won in 1988. He had been destined for the knackers when purchased to compete in point to point races.
Commission Red won the Great Eastern in 1990 and was later third in the 1990 Grand National Steeple. In 1992 Vinchiamo was successful and had run second in the 1991 Grand National Steeple. During this time jockey SImon Mills attracted world eide attention when he was dislodged from his mount over a jump. Unfortunately his foot became stuck in the stirrup and with another jump looming things were looking grim. His mount seemed to know all was not right and put in an allmighty leapt easily clearing the fencing and and dragging Simon Mills over with hardly a touch to the obstacle. The video of this event is still available and often appears on sports 'blooper' shows on US TV. In 1993 Touch Judge signalled the start of the John Wheeler trained domination of the event. In 1994 Tyrolia blitzed the field as did Light Hand in his multiple victories of 1995 and 1996. Foxboy won in 1997 and then continued to Grand Annual success. His was the last Wheeler trained winner but the stable has several top chances in this years event.
In 1999 Planet Hollywood blitzed his opposition in both the Great Eastern and Grand Annual but had been retired through injury by the time Easter 2000 came around.
The earliest known footage of Oakbank
is from 1925 when the fallen log was there and the crowd would wander onto the track
during the race being hurried off just before the horses ran past and wandering back
straight after the horses were there. |
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The following year Darkie became the first multiple
winner winning again in 1878. Trigger won in 1881 and again in 1884 with Swordfish picking
up the batton by winning in 1885 then again in 1887. The 1888 winner Adeline completed the
Great Eastern - Grand Annual double a feat which wasn't repeated until 1907 by Napier.
Napier actually won two Grand Annuals in 1906 and 1907 with the Great Eastern victory in
between. Dungan won both the 1896 Great Eastern and the 1896 Grand National Steeple and
Euro won the 1898 Grand Annual before heading to Oakbank in 1900 to win the Great Eastern.
Wooral the Oakbank winner in 1901 reversed the order being successful in the Grand Annual
in 1904. Syringa the 1904 Great Eastern winner proved himself against the best Victorian
jumpers by running third in the 1904 Grand National Steeple and second in the 1906 Grand
National. 
Though only pony sized he was proved too good for
point to points and set the jumps racing world alight in the late 80s and had a huge band
of followers. He lined up for in an attempt for another Great Eastern win at Oakbank a
couple of years after his 88 success. The track was wet from rain but was considered safe
for racing. As the field raced tightly on the flat they went around turn where Curl of
Success and River Amos slipped with one horse getting tangled in the other. What followed
was probably the most horrific happenings of recent times as both horses with breaks high
on there legs got up and raced towards the devastated crowd. Both were caught and put down
and it was a tragic end for both talented horses. 
Turkey Lane was successful in 1998 after having been specifically set for
the event. In another of Turkey Lane's victories he suprised everyone with his finishing
burst. At Gawler there was a small field of about 5 horses and while the leading four
racing tightly Turkey Lane dropped well out of it early and was well out of the TV camera
picture. Coming around the turn with the race on in earnest the grey was still out of
sight. In the final 200m Turkey Lane flashed home from seemingly nowhere to score. 
In
2000 Eric Musgrove looked to have the trainers bonus finally at his mercy. In the final
leg he had both March Past and Down to Zero travelling well until passing the grandstands
where March Past misjudged the fence and fell although well to the outside of the field.
In getting up the horse cannoned into both his stable mate Down to Zero (dislodging the
rider) and the Wheeler trained St Steven who was lucky to hold his footing. By the second
last fence St Steven was in front but beginning to tire as Bruskin had the last charge at
the leader. Over the last Bruskin hit the front despite running out badly on takeoff. Over
the final run to the line Bruskin came away to win from St Steven. Unfortunately Bruskin
bled in the first South Australian hurdle race for the season and is now banned for three
months denying him his chance of successive wins. However the Wheeler and Musgrove stables
are back to try and make amends.