TWILIGHT MEET’S BONUS EVENT

IT’S not unusual for Geelong racegoers to catch a glimpse of a Melbourne Cup winner.

The Geelong Cup has produced multiple Melbourne Cup winners, but rarely do punters get the chance of a look at a winner of the race that stops a nation in a return to the track.

A small crowd gathered at Geelong Racing Club yesterday to witness Vow and Declare’s first run following last year’s Melbourne Cup win.

The Danny O’Brien-trained four-year-old galloped with stablemate Russian Camelot as an exhibition at the midweek twilight meet, which was a first for the GRC.

The pair set off half-paced from about 1400m between races three and four and went to the line together. The honours may have gone to Vow and Declare in competition.

Jockey Craig Williams, who rode Vow and Declare to glory in the Melbourne Cup, was at the Australian Open and travelled from Melbourne just for the gallop.

The run formed part of Vow and Declare’s preparation for the autumn, when he will likely start first-up in the Group 1 Australian Cup at Flemington on March 7.

Williams said he was happy with the gallop.

“He’s a lot more solid, more mature horse and he’s going have to be from what he’s done,” Williams said.

“You can feel the growth in him and he has got that area to improve in because he’s really racing untapped, so he’s quite exciting.”

Vow and Declare was in just his 13th start in last year’s Melbourne Cup, with his record also including a runner-up finish in the Caulfield Cup.

GRC chief Daniel Salter said the gallop offered Vow and Declare a chance to acclimatise to racing conditions.

“I think we’ve got a really good relationship with Danny O’Brien with his training setup at Barwon Heads,” Salter said.

“It’s a good opportunity for horses to get on the course proper, which they generally don’t get that opportunity to do.”

He said off-course wagering figures could dictate if there are further twilight meetings as Racing Victoria experiments with the timeslot.

“It’s good to try something different,” Salter said. “We’ve got a reasonably good crowd for a Wednesday afternoon.”

Pictures: MARK WILSON JOB WELL DONE: Vow and Declare gets a wash down from strapper Kieran Head (sunglasses) and Ben Gleeson (cap) after yesterday’s track gallop. Inset: Craig Williams (right) onboard the champ ahead of Russian Camelot (Damien Oliver).