WA Country Cups action continues on Sunday with the running of the $90,000 Geraldton Cup (2100m).
Geraldton’s premier event is steeped in WA racing history and dates back to 1887 when it was won by Baron Nectar.
He travelled by steamer from Albany and was a brother of Dunlop who won the Melbourne Cup in the same year.
The 1888 Geraldton Cup was taken out by Aim Forward who a year later won the Perth Cup and WA Derby.
Wandering Willie, winner of the 1889 Geraldton Cup, also had success in Perth, taking out the Perth Cup-Railway Stakes double.
Other notable Geraldton Cup milestones and performances include the Clive Lauritsen-trained gelding, Tapdog.
The son of Bletcharm, who retired in 2008, is the only horse to win the Geraldton Cup on three occasions.
Tapdog recorded comfortable victories over Sir Donald (2002) and Konticki Sir (2006) before holding out the Adam Durrant-trained Kia Ora Miss (2007) by a close margin.
Tapdog, who was ridden by Chris Usher in 2002 and Roy McKay subsequently in his feature trifecta, gave Lauritsen three of a record seven Geraldton Cups.
Lauritsen, the most successful trainer in Geraldton Cup history, also prepared Royal Hand (1974, 75), Racaralma (1977) and Black Amber (2009).
Black Amber, a Blackfriars mare, was ridden by McKay who joined Dennis Gates as the most successful Geraldton Cup jockey.
Gates recorded his first triumph with Degray Boy (1969), before piloting home Royal Hand (1975), Racaralma (1977) and Under Control (1978).
Current hoop Danny Miller won with Top Voltage (1992), Clan West (1997) and completed the treble aboard Boston Blue (1998).
Alana Williams holds the distinction as the first and only female rider to win the Geraldton Cup when she partnered Colorado River (2004).
Williams’ partner, Grant, has trained placegetters in the past two editions of the race: Desert Glow was third last year and Moonlight Bay runner-up in 2013.
Source: A History Of The Geraldton Turf Club
