Trainers set their sights on Esperance Cup
The biggest event on the Esperance racing calendar is just around the corner, with the Esperance Cup set to draw a bumper crowd and talent from across the state on March 1.
More than 1,500 punters are expected to pile through the gates of the Esperance Bay Turf Club to catch a glimpse of the action.
Esperance Bay Turf Club president Ken Norton said the stage was set for a tight cup day with close competition across the entire season.
Despite excellent racing, unfortunate weather has seen 11 races cancelled due to lightning.
"It is a big thing for the club, a big thing for the community and a big thing for the people from Kalgoorlie," he said.
"The racing has been very strong all season, the jockey and trainer of the year is very tight and anyone in the top three or four could win."
Trainer Meryl Hayley has been based in Esperance for the season run, training a team of 10 horses including season standouts Universal May and Universal Susan.
With a training career spanning more than 15 years Ms Hayley has secured a few winners and multiple placings this season.
"I've always had good success down here," she said.
"It's such a beautiful track and because I am from the North we suffer from hard dry tracks at this time of year but down here the weather is so mild and the horses really appreciate it.
"The track is beautiful, the conditions are great, the facilities are wonderful and you get to use the beach and the horses love it."
Ms Hayley will have nine horses compete on cup day with Universal May running for the coveted title.
"Competition is going to be really strong this year because there are a lot of visiting trainers coming from Perth," she said.
"We've all been racing against each other all season down here so when the outside horses come down you don't know the strength of their form."
Trainer Peter Banford has also called Esperance home for the season and is aiming to secure the cup off the back of a Broome Cup win last year with horse Swift Platinum.
A trainer of more than four decades, Mr Banford moves with the sun, taking horses along the North circuit throughout the year.
Mr Banford has recorded a solid season in Esperance and will have Strike Force and Swift Platinum vie for the title.
"I took them down to Albany for the cup a couple of weeks ago, they didn't travel very well but hopefully this time when we are closer to home it will be a reversal of form," he said
"I brought horses here that I took North last year that didn't handle the North to give them a chance to prove themselves on a grass patch rather than a dirt patch."
The cup will also see two local trainers and jockeys from Esperance also compete, marking a rare achievement for the pair as there are only five licensed in the state.
Punters can take in nine races on Cup Day followed by club awards and a $25 buffet.
The Turf Club and Community TAB will also raise funds for the Esperance Goldfields Surf Life Saving Club across the day.