It was a record-breaking Cup day all round when the Broome Turf Club's 2008 season drew to a close last weekend.
Tote and attendance figures were the best ever, Peter Hall rode Great Destiny to victory in the Broome Cup to give him his fourth win in the feature race, John Claite won his third Broome Sprint aboard Stratazoa and English rider Colin Haddon steered Ripa Rossa to a win in the Linneys Pear Classic.
The club committee was over the moon with tote figures with on-course turnover up 11 percent and off-course a massive 25 percent.
The Cup race turned into a thriller with the two favourites Great Destiny and Tearinupthecountry fighting out the finish. Great Destiny raced to the front approaching the home turn and looked set for a comfortable win, but Tearinupthecountry made a late surge on the line and just failed to snatch victory.
John Claite, who previously won the Broome Sprint on Le Bolt in 1989 and San Simeon in 2006, had an armchair ride on Stratazoa. From his inside barrier Stratazoa went straight to the front and was never under any pressure to defeat Town Path and Kenanas.
The other feature event on the day was the Linneys Pearl Classic and the Jane Hossell-trained Ripa Rosa produced a whirlwind finish to down the favourite King Crete in the shadows of the post.
Phil Grantham was the leading trainer for the fifth successive year and stable jockey Shaun Meeres the leading rider-his second in succession. Horse-of-the-year was the Grantham-trained Flannelfoot.
