THE $170,000 Albury Gold Cup was ripped from Benalla trainer Peter Donnelly and apprentice jockey Jye McNeil yesterday in the most dramatic aftermath in the 132-year history of the race.
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Fabriano, the only horse Donnelly had entered on the day, became the first horse to lose the cup on protest.
The race was awarded to Niblick, who provided Albury trainer Brett Cavanough with his first home-town triumph after moving his stables from Tocumwal eight years ago.
Another huge crowd — 17,250 racegoers — was forced to wait 40 minutes for the cup result as stewards dealt with two protests, lodged by Jeff Penza, the rider of the third-placed $4.60 favourite, Colesio.
Stewards dismissed a protest by Penza against Niblick, upholding the one against Fabriano.
In the wash-up, Niblick was elevated to first, Colesio to second and Fabriano relegated to third in a devastating blow for Donnelly and his wife, Jessie, part-owners of the six-year-old.
The cup presentation was yet to be held when a devastated Donnelly left the track with the biggest win of his decade-long training career in tatters.
“I think it is a load of shit,” he said.
“Of course I am gutted, gutted for the horse, gutted for the kid, gutted for us.
“They couldn’t beat us out on the track, so they had to beat us another way.
“Go and have a look at the head on and see whose horse moves.”
Fabriano crossed the line a nose ahead of Niblick with the same margin to Colesio.
Another Cavanough-trained horse, Price Of Glory, was a close-up fourth.
Cavanough and connections were presented with the cup after the next race, the Flat Knacker, which was another success for the leading Riverina trainer.
Among the onlookers was Nick Williams, whose father, Lloyd, previously owned Niblick.
The last Albury-trained horse to win the cup was 20 years ago when the Ron Stubbs-trained Wilga Dash, who also survived a protest, took out the race.
Cavanough didn’t train a winner on day one of the carnival, but produced three yesterday, including the cup and Flat Knacker with one-time Golden Slipper contender, Bossdon City.
“We went home yesterday with the tail between our legs,” Cavanough said.
“I feel for the guys who had the winner, but that’s racing.
“Colesio is heading to the Sydney Cup and we are heading to the bar.”
The cup victory was also a satisfying moment for jockey Matthew Cahill, who has a long-term suspension hanging over his head.
He has appealed against the severity of a 12-month ban incurred in a race at Goulburn in June.
“I feel sorry for young Jye McNeil,” Cahill said.
“He is a promising young rider and it would be devastating to lose an Albury cup like that.
“You’ve just got to do the best you can and keep poking along.
“It has been a long drawn-out affair and the sooner it is finished the better for everybody.”
Cahill is the most successful rider in gold cup history with four wins since 1998.
The crowd, which was slightly up on last year’s 17,137 people, experienced better weather than racegoers did on day one of the carnival.
The track was rated heavy after more than 25 millimetres fell on Thursday.
The other cup day feature races were won by Piazza San Pietro (Adrian Ledger Memorial) and Road Trippin (Albury Guineas).
