MT GAMBIER trainer Michael O’Leary has scored back-to-back Jim’s Butchery Nhill Cups.
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O’Leary won the 1650-metre Boxing Day feature with Welcome Ned on Friday.
The five-year-old gelding, ridden by apprentice jockey Caitlin Jones, took out the $15,000 race ahead of Sandhill Chief and Richard The.
O’Leary won the 2013 Nhill Cup with six-year-old mare Gauss, ridden by Kate Brooks.
Nhill and District Racing Club secretary Tony Gebert said crowd numbers were up on last year.
‘‘We had about 1500 people, which is what we were hoping for,’’ he said.
‘‘We were very lucky with the weather – we have been the past few years.
‘‘The weather always plays a big part in crowd numbers.’’
Mr Gebert said it was not just the crowd numbers that were growing each year.
‘‘We had really strong fields this year,’’ he said.
‘‘We even had a couple of emergencies in some races, which we haven’t had for a while. It seems to be getting bigger every year.’’
Fashions on the field and children’s activities were also a highlight of the annual event.
‘‘All the showbags got snapped up pretty quick by the kids,’’ Mr Gebert said.
Mr Gebert also praised crowd behaviour.
He thanked the sponsors and the community for their support.