The Goodwood Handicap is the most keenly sought after sprint race in South Australia, with a $400,000 prize pool. It is a highly regarded Group 1 race, attracting horses both locally and from interstate. Strathalbyn boasts an excellent chance in the big race this coming Saturday (16/5) with David Jolly Racing’s 4 y/o Gelding, Behemoth. One More Jack, trained by another local, Shane Oxlade, unfortunately just missed out on a start in the Goodwood.

Behemoth is David’s stable star and finished a narrow second behind Despatch in the 2019 edition of South Australia’s headline race, after enduring a checkered path up the Morphettville straight. He also ran a brave fourth in the inaugural $7.5 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill in November. The Golden Eagle was taken out by Kolding, which overcame South Australian star Sunlight close to home. Mizzy edged Behemoth out of third by a nose, a remarkable effort by the Adelaide visitor given his wide passage throughout the 1500m race and his less than ideal preparation. “He’s a very talented horse and obviously he was a bit unlucky in last year’s Goodwood, said Jolly. “He’s had a good break now and he’s a little bit more mature.”

As mentioned earlier, Shane Oxlade Racing’s Four-year-old Gelding One More Jack was nominated for the Goodwood but sadly missed out on a spot. He’s been racing in great style recently with six wins in a row before finishing fourth at his last start. The majority of his six victories have come in emphatic fashion, but at one stage he was a horse that was staring at a career over the jumps. "I did what any trainer does with an incredibly slow and lazy horse, I put the blinkers on and just hoped," said Oxlade. It’s been a fairytale story for this small stable with Oxlade and his daughter, Cassie, putting in the hard yards at the Strathalbyn Track.

“There were 10 Strathalbyn Trainers represented in all fields across last weekend’s Autumn Carnival and this weekend there are nine,” said Strathalbyn Racing Club Manager, Kristy Martin. “It was great to have Terry McAuliffe from Racing.Com come to the club this week to conduct his weekly track talk segment, gaining great exposure for our club to a wide audience.”

“I couldn’t be more delighted with the success of the hard working stables and their teams. Strathalbyn has continued to prosper as a club and with a big weekend on the big stage ahead, we couldn’t be any prouder,” said Martin.