Iconoclasm ridden by Damien Oliver wins the Chandler Macleod VOBIS Gold Star at Moonee Valley Racecourse on October 25, 2019 in Moonee Ponds, Australia. (Brett Holburt/Racing Photos)
The VOBIS Gold Premier Race Series got underway under lights at The Valley on Friday, 25 October, with the Chandler Macleod VOBIS Gold Star (1500m) taking centre stage on Manikato Stakes night.
It was a strongly contested field, highlighted by Patrick Payne’s evergreen gelding Widgee Turf and last year’s VOBIS Gold Bullion winner Amadeus trained by Michael Kent.
However, it was Danny O’Brian trained Iconoclasm with Damien Oliver aboard who secured the victory for the second year in a row, taking home a share in $150,000 in prizemoney and a further $30,000 in VOBIS bonuses.
Widgee Turf and the Bryan Dais trained Looks Like Elvis rounded out the placegetters in the first race of 18 to be showcased across metropolitan and country Victoria.
The 2019-20 VOBIS Gold Premier Race Series, which runs from October 2019 to July 2020, offers $4.65 million in prizemoney and bonuses this season for VOBIS Gold-nominated horses.
The series rewards those who chose to breed, buy, own and race their horses in Victoria and is headlined by The Showdown, a $1 million VOBIS Sires race for two-year-olds and the $500,000 VOBIS Sires race for three-year-olds. Both races will form part of Victorian Owners and Breeders Raceday which will be held at Caulfield on Saturday, 18 April 2020.
The next race of the series, the VOBIS Gold Eureka Stockade, will take place on Ballarat Cup Day on Saturday, 23 November and will offer a total of $205,000 in prizemoney and bonuses.
To view the full 2019-20 VOBIS Gold Premier Race Series or for further information on the VOBIS program, visit www.racingvictoria.com.au/vobis.