2 March 2013

Families were out in force at Flemington today to celebrate the Melbourne Festival of Racing’s family day, Australian Guineas Day, with over 10,000 racegoers taking in all the action on offer.

On the track, Jim Conlan’s decision to throw Ferlax into the deep end reaped a valuable reward when the untapped colt held off the lone filly in the race, You’re So Good, to grab the Group 1 victory in today’s feature race, the $500,000 Australian Guineas.

The son of Pentire maintained his unbeaten record with victory at his metropolitan debut in the 1600m event.

Conlan admitted to being concerned about All Too Hard, but decided to have a crack after a sterling piece of work on Tuesday morning and was feeling good about his chances when the glamour colt – who was a dominant $1.30 favourite – was scratched on race morning.

Off the track, the classic day out for kids - proudly supported by the Victorian State Government through its Raceday Attraction Program - was a hit with young racegoers of all ages giving them an opportunity to enjoy Australia’s premier racetrack, outstanding racing, live entertainment and a host of on course activities.

The east end of the famous Flemington front lawn was transformed into a children’s wonderland, and families took full advantage of the free fun-filled activities, including arts and crafts, active games, mini golf, a jumping castle, a giant slide and pony rides.

Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants and the incredible Justice Crew, who rocketed to fame winning Channel Seven’s Australia’s Got Talent, performed throughout the day much to the delight of their young fans.

Racegoers also got up close to one of the racing world’s biggest names, Apache Cat, who travelled to Flemington for the day from Living Legends.

All eyes will return to Flemington next Saturday for Super Saturday, the highlight of the Melbourne Festival of Racing. Featuring two Group 1’s, the time-honoured Lexus Newmarket Handicap and the Darley Australian Cup, it’s a day not to be missed.