Trainer Michael Grantham, Jockey Clint Johnson-Porter, Stormageddon and strapper Bailey Webster. Photo: Geoff Vivian.
Brothers Clint Johnston-Porter and Zephen Johnston-Porter made the 2025 $100,000 Freight Lines Group Esperance Cup (2010m) a family affair on Sunday after providing the quinella for visiting North Dandalup trainer Michael Grantham.
Clint Johnston-Porter was aboard the extremely well supported $1.55 TABtouch favourite Stormageddon, which proved far too classy for its rivals overcoming the wide barrier of 13, settling at the rear of the field and content to stay out of the early speed battle.
Johnston-Porter made the race winning move down the side of the course with 600 metres remaining, switching to the extreme outside of the field of 15 at the turn.
The four-year-old So You Think gelding then sustained a prolonged run in the straight going on to defeat brother Zephen on Citino ($13) by a length, which had been handy in running throughout.
Lisa Staples found the gaps between horses on the second favourite True Chance ($7.50) for Gary Burger, finishing off the race superbly into third position to be the best of the locals, just behind the metropolitan credentialed rivals.
Clint Johnston-Porter maintained his recent great record in the Esperance Cup as he piloted Off Wego to win in 2022 and he was also victorious aboard favourite Manavendra in last year’s cup for Daniel and Ben Pearce.
In 2023 he ran second by a head to the Willie Pike ridden Soviet Spy riding Off Wego for Karnup trainer Adam Durrant.
The Cup win was the culmination of a long campaign for Stormageddon, which has yielded four wins from 14 starts and $193,325 in prizemoney, commencing with a 1100 metre Maiden at Northam in early August last year.
An exceptional meet
Esperance Bay Turf Club President Ken Norton reflected on an “exceptional” closing meeting for the 2024/25 season culminating in the running of the $100,000 Freight Lines Group Esperance Cup on Sunday afternoon.
With a crowd size of “very close to 2000 people”, Norton said the punters on course were well-behaved and the club was lucky enough to pull such numbers in the near perfect weather.
“We are still fortunate we are still getting a crowd; a lot of the country clubs are not getting good crowds to their races but we are still able to pull a crowd,” he said.
“We never had a problem with their behaviour (on the day) and we usually keep a pretty good lid on it.
“Also the corporate tents and members areas were fully utilised, which added to the day.”
Josh Brown received the Fred Bow Memorial trophy for the Trainer of the Year for the first time with 16 wins for the season ahead of Helen Harding who had 13 wins.
Austin Galati won the Senior Jockey of the Year award sponsored by Bookmaker Ernie McCreed, as Brayden Gaerth took out the Charlie Osmetti Bookmaking-supported Apprentice Jockey of the Year award.
West Coast Warrior won the Swans Veterinary Service Horse of the Year award with three wins and four seconds from seven starts.
Gary Burger took out the South Coast Plumbing & Gas Leading Strike Rate Trainer of the Year with seven winners and six placings from 15 starters, the wins provided by West Coast Warrior and the Esperance Cup placegetter True Chance.
The EBTC will host the first meeting programmed for the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Racing Club’s 2025 season on Friday March 21.
The six-event card was transferred to the EBTC in January after negotiations between the KBRC and City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder failed to resolve a water supply issue.
“We don’t need a lot of preparation to host the meeting but its (success) is going to depend a lot on the horse numbers, because it’s programmed to be all shorter races and we have been racing at the middle distances and longer” Norton said.
“We don’t know what the horse numbers will be like but it will run like a normal meeting.
“At this stage it will be free entry on course, and instead of our members having a members’ area everyone will be able to mix in.”
