Agreeable finish: Kayla Crowther wins 2022 Gold Cup

Jockey Kayla Crowther, trainer Will Clarken and horse Agreeable have come out on top at this year's Gold Cup in Murray Bridge.

Viki Ntafillis

17 Oct 2022 — 3 min read

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Kayla Crowther and Will Clarken celebrate their victory. Photo: Viki Ntafillis.

Jockey Kayla Crowther has struck gold with horse Agreeable at Murray Bridge’s Gold Cup on Friday.

Crowther, Adelaide-based trainer Will Clarken and horse owner Pinecliff Racing enjoyed a prize of $57,975 as a result of the win with the five-year-old mare.

Second place went to local trainer Michael Hickmott and jockey Todd Pannell on Lord Vladivostok, while third place went to trainer David Jolly and jockey Will Price on Moscow Red.

Murray Bridge trainer Stuart Padman came in fourth with jockey Sophie Logan and horse Montign.

Kayla Crowther, in the while helmet, races Agreeable over the finish line in first place. Photo: Viki Ntafillis.

Murray Bridge Racing Club secretary and manager John Buhagiar said it was unfortunate that none of the locals had won the cup, but the fact locals had placed in four races out of 10 was excellent.

“The day had a wonderful vibe … we had good weather and a good crowd (of) around 2000 people,” Mr Buhagiar said.

“We even got to stay on after with blues band Joe Blake and the Snakes, who are a local band from Mannum.

“It was nice to be able to enjoy the cup without COVID-19 restrictions.”

Leo Maloney, Kelly Maloney, Stephen Pietsch, Rockey Callisto and Brenton Lewis enjoy the races. Photo: Viki Ntafillis.

The recently appointed life member said the Calcutta at the Murray Bridge Golf Club had also been a successful event.

“(The Gold Cup) is our premier day, and we received wonderful support from locals, even at the golf club’s pre-event,” Mr Buhagier said.

“We are appreciative of everything they have done, you can see the energy in them holding the event.

“It helped us take a bit of a racing event further out into the community for people to see and experience.”

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Pete Davidson, Jeff Hobbs, Jim Thring and Darrel Fargher look dapper. Photo: Viki Ntafillis.

Chairman John Leahy also said that the passing of COVID-19 made for a smoother event.

“It was a lot easier, we could have a band again … and it was a huge strain on the staff to have to work within restrictions, so it was good to have a bit more freedom,” he said.

“It was great to have people back at the races and there was some really competitive racing; everyone walked away happy even if they hadn’t backed a winner.”