THE bet 365 Mildura Cup Carnival is set to jump from the gate this Friday and Saturday and along with the glitz and glamour of the 100th running of the bet 365 Mildura Cup there’ll be a local hope among the contenders.
Wentworth-based breeder and trainer Cindy Brander used Mildura Racecourse as her key base of operations and said it takes a lot of time and energy to get a runner ready for the track.
“It is a very big commitment and you miss out on things as far as holidays, social life and spending time with family go,” she said.
“That’s when you mix with the racing community and they become a part of your family.”
Brander is reasonably unique in the industry in that she came late to training race horses, with many in the game starting out at an early age.
“I’ve had a lot to learn as far as racing goes for that reason because it is not second nature to me,” she said.
“I was in my early 30s before I decided to start training. I started doing it just as a hobby at first and it just kind of snowballed.”
When it comes to the Mildura Cup Carnival, Brander has three runners going on Saturday but said she hoped to soon have horses compete for the Mildura Cup.
Her six-year-old gelding Bon Hombre will be running and has seen great success lately, having won his last race at the end of June.
“Hombre pulled out well on his last start so he’s fit, and the distance will suit him, but if the track is soft he won’t like it,” she said.
“It’s nice to see anyone get a win because you know what it takes to get a horse to the races.
“It’s not easy to win a race.”
