Horse breaks drought in style DARYL Archard trained mare Make Mine Brandy ($8.70) claimed top honours in the Betfair Murray Mallee Winter Sprint Series at Echuca Racing Club on Monday. As well as overcoming her odds, she also beat the favourite (Our Edition $2.30) and the well-supported Perazzi ($5.60) to win by three lengths. Run over 1200m, it ended a winning drought of almost two years in style. On the rain-affected track, jockey Jessica Payne rode the horse perfectly in the 10-strong field, bringing her to the front at the turn and then leaving them in her wake down the straight. Archard said the five-year-old, which he bought at a sale in Mornington six months ago, jumped well and exceeded expectations. Starting from barrier four on a track rated soft 6, Archard said he expected a good run after the horse picked up a second at Echuca in January. He said he knew she had potential and just had to be patient and wait until there was a track which suited her. She had a lot of luck and drew a really good gate, Archard said. She made a nice spin on the turn and out-sprinted them all on the straight to win pretty comfortably. Archard said Make Mine Brandy had enjoyed a few runs for the stables in town but had jarred-up on the harder tracks so they put her away until the winter. We finally found a wet track and gave her a go, he said. When we saw the rain come and we knew she had drawn a good barrier we thought with a bit of luck shed get there. Continued page 18 The Pavilion opens in style Welcome: At the opening of Echuca Racing Clubs Pavilion were (from left) Alex Doble, Jaclyn Symes and Troy Murphy. From back page The Archard-trained Raggerty finished fifth in race five, the Moama Bowling Club 0-58 Handicap over 1600m. On another district note, Echuca trainer Gwenda Johnstones Phantom Eagle could only manage seventh in the Wilson Medic Rising Stars BM64 Handicap (race five) over 1400m. But the dazzling thoroughbreds took a back seat to the long-awaited launch of Echuca Racing Clubs new function space, the Pavilion. Echuca Racing Club contributed $237,656, while Racing Victoria and Country Racing Victoria chipped in $140,000 to the new facility. The government money was handed over by the previous Victorian Coalition government, which had matched the club dollar for dollar. Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh said the government then saw it as an important investment, not just in the track but the wider community as well. The club also acknowledged the effort of former Member for Rodney Paul Weller, who played a key role in securing the funds. ERC chief executive Alex Doble said the new facility was a major boost to the racing club and to the wider Echuca-Moama community. The Pavilion has been a long time coming and is something that has been in the works for about 10 years, he said. So to have that dream turned into reality is just fantastic. From a club perspective Doble said racing would remain the Pavilions priority though it is open to use on non-race days. Its a competitive space in a tight market in town and something we are very proud of, he said. I feel we didnt cut any corners and went through all the elements to make it what it is. The hard work is definitely evident. Caption Text: Welcome: At the opening of Echuca Racing Clubs Pavilion were (from left) Alex Doble, Jaclyn Symes and Troy Murphy. In front: Just Too Hard comes home in race five at Echuca, the Wilson Medic Rising Stars. Photos: Jayme Lowndes