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COROWA’S Great Australian Spring Carnival Yabby Race is highly-anticipated.
But when it comes to Melbourne Cup prophecies, the crustaceans have a poor record.
No horse represented by the winning yabby has managed to match the feat in the event’s 15-year history.
So if you’re considering backing Mourayan or Fiorente at Flemington today, you might want to think again — yabbies representing that pair won yesterday’s two races.
The second-placed yabby in both was No. 15 (Maluckyday).
Yabby farmer Bill Wilson had been at it for two weeks, plucking 24 suitable athletes from muddy hidey-holes.
After days stuck in a plastic container, many of the peeved contenders tried to gnaw at their handlers when being numbered and packed for the races.
“They get pretty wild,” Mr Wilson said before the race. “It’s going to be a fast race.”
The start was the usual bedlam — some yabbies were slow out of the blocks, a few scuttled for the finish line while others just slashed at the air in a manner that would have been threatening if they weren’t so small and edible.
Others seemed happy to play dead, languishing in their starting positions while the races were run.
The event, organised by the Corowa Chamber of Commerce, saw Albany’s Nicole Townsend and Corowa’s Mary Hudson take home $120 in shopping vouchers.
