THERE\u2019S a local chance in the Seppelt Wines All-Star Mile, with five-year-old gelding Just Folk among the list of potential starters for the mid-February race held at Flemington.<\/p>\n
Bendigo trainer Josh Julius has had Just Folk nominated to compete in the event which includes a $5 million prize pool, but it\u2019s up to the public to vote him in.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ten horses who receive the most votes are automatic entries,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrow a vote in because any vote counts. Get your partner to vote or your mum and dad because if we can turn one vote into four votes that might be the difference of squeezing into the field or missing out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some trainers will be holding onto hope for their horse\u2019s spot in the race, after not gaining automatic entry.<\/p>\n
Two horses in the race will be made to earn their spots by winning a qualification race prior to the day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll be a field of 15. There\u2019s two races that are exemption races so if you win you qualify for the race,\u201d Julius said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen there\u2019s the remaining three spots up for grabs that are wild card entries and those are determined by a preselected All-Star Mile committee.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trainers like Julius have been eager to enter the event which first ran three years ago and was inspired by Japan\u2019s famous fan voted race, the Arima Kinen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a relatively recent introduction to Racing Victoria\u2019s calendar but it\u2019s a new way to invent racing and it\u2019s pretty exciting to be a part of it,\u201d Julius said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though it\u2019s not a group race it\u2019s still the richest mile race in the world so to be a part of that and have a horse vying for a spot in the field like that is very exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the horse racing industry fortunate not to have been heavily impacted by COVID-19, Julius said he\u2019s looking forward to another year of racing.<\/p>\n
\u201cRacing\u2019s been really lucky. We had some pretty strict guidelines at the start of COVID, but we\u2019ve only lost one or two days,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THERE\u2019S a local chance in the Seppelt Wines All-Star Mile, with five-year-old gelding Just Folk among the list of potential starters for the mid-February race held at Flemington. Bendigo trainer Josh Julius has had Just Folk nominated to compete in the event which includes a $5 million prize pool, but it\u2019s up to the public […]<\/p>\n