Pacing sensation to lead the charge
JUST like the trusty steeds during the Battle of Beersheba, pacing sensation Leap To Fame will lead the charge at Club Menangle tomorrow night.
During the Great War, a series of allied attacks took place on October 31, 1917, with the ANZAC Mounted Division among the first in action.
Shortly afterwards, a mounted infantry charge by the Australian Mounted Division’s 4th and 12th Light Horse Regiments (4th Light Horse Brigade) took place.
With bayonets in their hands and their rifles slung across their back, the Aussie’s captured Beersheba and part of the enemy garrison as it withdrew.
It was a bold tactic never seen before and caught the enemy off guard.
The victory proved to be a significant turning point of the war by breaking the Turkish defensive line from Gaza to Beersheba.
Proud of its strong connections to the Light Horse Regiments, Club Menangle hosts a special service on the anniversary of the battle.
While the world class venue is now the site of the southern hemisphere’s premier racetrack, during the war the land was used as a training ground for divisions of the Australian Light Horse Infantry Regiment based at Holsworthy.
As part of tonight's stellar program, Club Menangle will conduct the Battle of Beersheba Free-For-All in which Leap To Fame is a raging favourite.
Widely-accepted as Australasia's best pacer, Leap To Fame is a $1.20 hot shot despite drawing barrier seven.
Such is Leap To Fame's star power, his presence is all but overshadowing the four Group One New South Wales Breeders' Challenge Finals!
An assembly of the states best two and three-year-olds will clash in the Finals, with Gunna Reload quite possibly the omen bet on the card.
Trained by astute horseman Peter Rixon, Gunna Reload has drawn barrier four, but slots into three following a scratching.
Third upon debut, the two-year-old has won her five subsequent starts, including a heat and semi-final of the futurity and is the clear favourite in the $150,000 decider.
Rixon also has a strong chance in the three-year-old fillies' division after Elusive drew to lead from the pole.
Like her stablemate, Elusive was triumphant in her heat and semi and is aiming for a clean sweep of the series.
