In the shadow of the iconic Dog on the Tuckerbox, where folklore meets the thunder of hooves, the Gundagai Racecourse is once again gearing up for its crown jewel: the 2025 Snake Gully Cup Carnival.
This two-day spectacle, kicking off Friday, November 14, with a block-buster nine-race card, has evolved from humble picnic races in the 1970s into one of New South Wales’ premier country racing fixtures.
With a record $100,000 purse for the XXXX Gold Big Dance Eligibility Snake Gully Cup (1400m) – a gateway to Randwick’s glittering autumn riches – nominations closed Monday, revealing a field of 40 gallopers brimming with metropolitan polish and regional resolve.
As weights were declared and barriers drawn on Wednesday, the tight, left-handed circuit – rail out 4m, favouring on-pacers – promises tactical intrigue, heart-pounding finishes, and the kind of underdog tales that define country racing.
The Carnival’s allure isn’t just in the prizemoney; it’s woven into Gundagai’s fabric. Drawing crowds of around 5,000 across Friday’s feature day and Saturday’s Hair of the Dog Cup, the event fuses high-octane sport with community revelry.
Think chilled XXXX Golds under wide-brimmed hats, family picnics on the lawns, and the electric buzz of Fashions on the Field, where categories like Best Dressed Gentleman, Most Elegant Lady, Best Headwear, and Best Dressed Visitor vie for sponsor-backed prizes.
Organisers, led by the Gundagai-Adelong Race Club, anticipate balmy conditions – mostly sunny, highs of 24°C – setting the stage for bold runs on a track that punishes the timid but rewards the brave. Yet, beneath the festivities lies a storied legacy that elevates the Snake Gully Cup beyond mere racing. Born in 1982 as a picnic-style meeting, it has grown into a TAB-listed highlight. Limited to 12 runners – blending 1200m step-ups with mile-droppers, all chasing not just the trophy but qualification for Randwick’s $3 million showdowns.
As leading country trainer Danny Williams reflects on his 2024 triumph with Don’t Give a Damn, the Cup’s magic lies in its intimacy: “It’s a fantastic meeting. It’s got such a great ambience, and the track itself is such a theatrical type of environment. To win it with Don’t Give A Damn,” he states emphatically, “was an incredible moment for us.”
Williams, a country boy at heart, adds that despite Group One victories across states, “We’ve won Group One races and we’ve won some very nice races all around the state, in Victoria and Queensland as well, but to win a Snake Gully Cup, with 5,000 people there and the way it’s all squashed in was very exciting and a great moment for us.”
For Williams, it’s the emotional pull that endures: “I’m a country boy, and those races mean more to me than winning those good races in Sydney.”
This sentiment echoes through the stables. Barb Joseph, a legend with nearly 40 years tied to Gundagai, recalls her 2002 romp with Medicine – a three-length demolition under Johnny Scorse that set a long-standing track record – as a career pinnacle: “Probably one of my fondest memories in my career is winning with Medicine in the 2002 Snake Gully Cup… We were so sure we could win the Snake Gully Cup, and he actually won by about three or four lengths, and I think he held the track record for a long, long time.”
Undeterred by lashing rain that kept owners away, Joseph’s grit shone: “All the owners stayed away because it was pouring rain, and they said the race meeting wouldn’t go ahead. I said, ‘I will get from Bombala to Gundagai, I’ll be there anyhow to get the trophy, and sure enough, we won.’”
Her 2017 victory with Mercurial Lad further cements her bond, particularly with the bespoke tin trophy depicting a painted betting ring scene: “It’s very, very unique… It’s the winning post and all these little women dressed up, all cut out of tin and all painted and coloured, sitting around tables with the betting ring. It just reminded me of all the women and people that were in Merimbula Bay and our horses, how they all get dressed in their bright colours. I really love that trophy.”
Joseph rates the Cup alongside blue ribbons like the Canberra and Wagga Cups: “It’s been one of the best race meetings for years and years I’ve been going there. The people and the town, everybody looks after you. It stands up with the Canberra Cup and the Wagga Cup, as far as I’m concerned.” And she never skips it: “I never miss it… I reckon it would probably have to be nearly 40 years, I’ve been making the trip to Gundagai. It’s a great race and a lot of friendly people, and I’ve got a lot of old friends over there.”
Matty Dale, a three-time conqueror, grew up idolising the race: “Growing up, there was always a couple of big country opens I wanted to win, which were the Wagga Town Plate and the Snake Gully Cup. So absolutely thrilled to have won it three times, and we’ll be giving it everything to win it again.”
For Dale, the Carnival’s vibe – XXXX-fueled hats and all – is unbeatable: “It’s a great carnival, good country carnival, and a good day out at the races, XXXX Gold, every other person has got a XXXX Gold and a hat on for when the weather really heats up and the racing does too. We love winning the Snake Gully Cup and have been lucky enough to win it three times.”
He praises the individualised trophies: “Probably the best thing; one of the most unique things a lot of people don’t realise about the Snake Gully Cup is they do an unbelievably good trophy. Very individualised trophy each year, and it’s one of the things that sits on my mantlepiece with great pride. It’s not just a normal, cliché trophy; they think outside of the square and that adds to the whole race as well.”
Defending champion Mitch Beer, who stunned with Clever Art in 2024 after a digital sale acquisition, was awestruck on debut: “I remember going to my first Snake Gully Cup carnival, and I was just blown away. The number of people and the couple of days of racing were just unreal, and a time-honoured race that not only is a great little race, but is also very hard to win. Any races on those two days, especially Cup day, they’re hard races to win, and Gundagai had been a bit of an elusive meeting for me.”
Beer’s mare thrived beachside: “If you had told us a few months out that we’d be winning a Snake Gully Cup with a horse we didn’t even train yet… she just thrived from the moment she got here, went to the beach and spent a lot of her time down there, and it was an incredible period. She’s sort of hit the ground running, and everything fell into place for a pretty special day.”
Gundagai’s quirks tested him previously: “I remember taking a horse called Princess Cordelia there and thought it was an absolute moral, and she got beaten on Snake Gully Cup day and won her next two at Randwick and Rosehill. It’s a tricky track. A lot can go right, a lot can go wrong. It just makes it all the more special.”
For 2025, Clever Art returns: “She will be there with bells on. A fast run of 1400 is right up her alley, and she’s on target. She had a little freshen up, and I think she tends to sort of peak at that time of year.”
Veteran Norm Gardner, with a near-miss via Upper House’s second that snagged Little Dance entry, calls it brutally competitive: “It’s a very hard race to win, and the thing is, you need a good horse to win it. It’s up there with all of the best races, probably third to the Wagga Cup and Wagga Town Plate, but it’s a very hard race to win.”
The Big Dance eligibility has upped the ante: “It’s been around for a long time. It’s been won by a lot of good local horses, but things have changed now. Being Big Dance eligible, it is probably harder to win than it was in the past.”
The $100,000 Snake Gully Cup: A Handicap War of Weights and Wills.
Nominations paint a classic clash: city slickers versus bush battlers, with benchmark ratings from 102 down to the mid-80s signalling depth. Brad Widdup’s Phearson (Hcp 102) headlines, a metro import shouldering a probable 65kg top weight after city exploits. His class is undeniable, but Gundagai’s 1400m – a stamina-sapping grind with a sharp turn and uphill finish – will test resolve.
Scott Collings’ Ticklebelly (91) lurks as a local specialist, while Ron Stubbs’ Baledon and Tap ‘N’ Run bring toughness. Matthew Dale targets Cavalier Charles (95) third-up: “I think Cavalier Charles is the horse I’m targeting this year. He’s just come back in, and he’s going to be set toward it. We will probably look to claim in it, but regarding the preparation, he will chime in just after the Kosciuszko and then build into a Snake Gully Cup third up is my plan at this stage.”
Dale foresees quality: “It sits in and around the Kosciuszko, it sits in and around the Big Dance and also Canberra’s new race… I think it’ll get a cracking field. They only run 12, but it’ll be 12 solid performers there this year.”
Mitchell Beer and George Carpenter’s entries, like Apollo Mission, nod to sprint threats spilling over, while Donna Scott’s Villasaurus eyes maidens. Norm Gardner readies Dupli Kate fourth-up: “She’ll be about fourth up. I will just have to space her runs a bit, because she’s probably a miler, which you probably need to be to win that race. It is a high-pressure race.” Coming back from a mile poses risks: “Coming back from a mile to 1400 Snake Gully Cup is the problem; we will see how she handles the pressure.”
Tactically, expect chaos: frontrunners to scorch early on the rail, closers praying for a melt. Lightly weighted locals with track affinity – think Ticklebelly or the Jones duo – offer value amid early markets favouring Phearson at shorts.
Undercard Fireworks: From Sprints to Stayers
The nine-race slate, starting at 1:15 PM (gates 11:00 AM), overflows with showcases. Race 2’s Snake Gully Flying Handicap (1000m, $50,000) erupts with Beer’s Apollo Mission (79) and I Am Lethal (78) versus Geoffrey Crothers’ Liquor Talk (72) – a speed frenzy where fractions decide.
Beer eyes the Dog on the Tuckerbox sprint too: “The Dog on the Tuckerbox is a race that we won a couple of years ago with a mare called Gweneth, so it’s a race that we will be targeting as well with a couple of the older sprinters.”
Race 4’s Patriot Bloodstock Class 3 (1180m, $40,000) spotlights consistent guns: Salonius (NZ) (72), Daze Off (70), and Lambay (67), potential summer stars. Race 6’s Table-Tab Class 1 (1400m, $40,000) features Cashbook (64) and Rentessis (61) – graduation bids.
Maidens pepper the card, with Scott’s yard hunting breakthroughs, while benchmark battles brim with Jones depth. Stables Primed for Glory
• Joseph-Jones (Barbara, Paul & Matt): Carnival dominators, with entries in seven races. Joseph’s depth screams multiple strikes.
• Beer & Carpenter: Sprint aces, defending via Clever Art.
Gundagai’s Hair of the Dog Day: Nominations Heat Up for a Thrilling Carnival Closer
As the quaint riverside town of Gundagai gears up for the second day of the Snake Gully Cup Carnival on Saturday, November 15, 2025, the anticipation is palpable among racing enthusiasts. Dubbed ‘Hair of the Dog’ Day—a cheeky nod to shaking off the previous day’s festivities—this seven-race program on the Turf track promises a mix of high-stakes competition, local flavour, and emerging talent.
With nominations flooding in from trainers across the region, the card features everything from blistering 1000m sprints to endurance-testing 1800m battles, drawing a diverse field of horses ready to chase glory and a share of the prize money.
At the heart of the day is the feature event, the Gundagai District Services Club Hair of the Dog Cup, a Benchmark 66 Handicap over 1800m that has attracted a whopping 27 nominations.
This year’s lineup looks set for a fierce contest, with top-weighted contenders like Fox Appeal and Maid In Dubai, both under the care of Wagga-based trainer Craig Weeding, carrying the heaviest loads at 65kg and 61.5kg respectively. Their impressive ratings of 74 and 71 position them as early favourites, but they’ll face stiff challenges from the likes of Burgundy Girl (trained by Keith Dryden and Libby Snowden at 60.5kg) and Michael Travers’ duo, Dynamic One (62kg) and the lightweight flyer Gold Tracker (54.5kg).
Local trainer Kerry Weir adds hometown hope with Track And Field at 55kg, a horse that could surprise if the track favours stayers.
Reflecting on last year’s edition, held on November 16, 2024, adds an extra layer of intrigue to this renewal.
The 2024 Hair of the Dog Cup was a memorable affair, won by the Nick Olive-trained Final Comment, ridden to victory by local jockey Billy Owen in a time of 1:49.47 on a Good 3 surface. Final Comment edged out Quamby (Sylvia Thompson) by 0.8 lengths, with Straight Fire (Todd Smart) a close third just 0.1 lengths further back. It was a triumphant day for Olive, marking a special win that had the Gundagai crowd roaring.
Other highlights from 2024 included Barbara Joseph, Paul, and Matt Jones dominating with double winners—Snowy in the Class 1 Handicap over 1180m and Prophet’s Magic in the Maiden Handicap over 1400m. Gratz Vella celebrated success in the Class 2 Handicap sprint with Sutton Vella, while Michael Travers nearly stole the show in a maiden dash, finishing second with American Kestrel.
Each day was a showcase of regional talent, with trainers like Kerry Weir, Donna Scott, Ben Brisbourne, and Craig Weeding all featuring prominently in placings, under-scoring the carnival’s role as a breeding ground for country racing stars.
Many of those familiar names are back for 2025, bringing their proven track records and a hunger for redemption or repeat success. Craig Weeding, who had strong showings last year, returns with a formidable hand, including his top-weighted pair in the Cup and a quartet in the 1400m maiden, such as My City Warrior at 58kg.
Barbara Joseph, Paul, and Matt Jones are reloading with a team of four or more, including Win The Day and Miss Scoop, aiming to build on their 2024 brace of victories.
Kerry Weir, a Gundagai specialist who always performs on home soil, has multiple entries like Track And Field in the Cup and Rum Jungle in the 1000m maiden, where he fields three runners.
Donna Scott is another returnee with chances across the card, nominating Keith, Forte Cheval, and Lord Limerick among others, following her involvement in last year’s placings.
Ben Brisbourne, who had horses in the mix in 2024, brings Reasonable Point (60.5kg) as a high-rated contender in the Class 2 sprint over 1000m.
Michael Travers, fresh off that near-miss in a maiden last year, eyes glory with Dynamic One and Gold Tracker in the feature.
Gratz Vella, last year’s sprint winner, adds depth with Teylu at 61kg in the same dash.
Even Andrew Dale is joining the fray with New Zealand-bred quality like Bellman and San Marco, potentially introducing fresh competition to challenge the veterans.
Shifting focus to the shorter sharpeners, the K J’s Club Café Class 2 Handicap over 1000m has assembled a speedy bunch, led by Brisbourne’s Reasonable Point and Jarrod Austin’s Super Zippi, rated at 68 and 67.
Keep an eye on Heath Maclean’s Star Of Ida at 56.5kg, a potential last-start winner type, alongside Paul Theobald’s Real Deluxe and Vella’s Teylu for a race that could come down to barrier draws and early pace.
The maiden races round out the card with plenty of promise for breakthroughs. In the Goanna Graphics Country Boosted Maiden Handicap over 1000m, a massive 26-horse field includes Weir’s trio, headlined by Rum Jungle at 58.5kg, Scott Collings’ entries like Brass Monkeys at 57.5kg, and Donna Scott’s pair of Forte Cheval and Lord Limerick at 59kg each. Danielle Seib’s filly Medeia at 55.5kg could benefit from gear tweaks.
Over the longer 1400m in the It’s TAB Time Maiden Handicap, Weeding’s four-strong team—My City Warrior, Apple Eyes, Springer Time, and The Village Fox—faces tests from Austin’s The Reel Penelope, Brisbourne’s Ponte Arcobaleno, and Gary Colvin’s Super Nic.
With such depth and a blend of seasoned campaigners and untapped potential, ‘Hair of the Dog’ Day is poised to deliver an exhilarating finale to the Gundagai Carnival. Punters might fancy Fox Appeal as the pick of the day in the Cup, given its class edge and leading prospects, while Gold Tracker lurks as a tempting roughie at light weight. In the maidens, Rum Jungle stands out as Weir’s home-track danger.
Gates swing open at 11:30 am, with the first race jumping at 1:15 pm. Free entry for kids under 16 makes it a family-friendly outing—pack a hat, quench your thirst, and let the Hair of the Dog work its magic.
– Tully Potts