Reddivo triumphs in Caledonian Hotel Road to Jericho Handicap

By Oliver Shedden

Nov 5, 2024

Reddivo won the Caledonian Hotel Road to Jericho Handicap at Echuca Racing Club on November 5. Photo: Aidan Briggs Photo by Aidan Briggs

New Zealand six-year-old Reddivo claimed an emphatic victory in the Caledonian Hotel Road to Jericho Handicap at Echuca Racing Club.

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The second race of Echuca Racing Club’s Moama Bowling Club Melbourne Cup Day was a 3200m marathon that is an automatic qualifier to the historically meaningful Jericho Cup in Warrnambool on December 1.

As such, Reddivo, being an Australasian-bred horse, has booked its place in the $300,000 2024 Jericho Cup, a race that is inspired by the Jericho Cup that was run by the Australian Light Horse during World War I.

Later in the day, Trustthesheriff won race four by half a length. Photo: Aidan Briggs Photo by Aidan Briggs

Reddivo’s victory was convincing to say the least, coming down the last straight, the horse, ridden by G. J Walsh and trained by Jamie Edwards, pulled away and won by roughly three lengths.

Such a dominant performance was surprising given the horse didn’t enter as a favourite, overcoming top picks Promised Land and Dandruff to take out the top spot.

The crowd gathered to watch the great race. Photo by Aidan Briggs

Amy McDonald’s Sky Hero finished second in the race, closely followed by Paul Preusker’s Handshake in third.

Echuca Racing Club track manager Jarratt Farley emphasised what a privilege it was to host a race with significant historical relevance and one of the few long-distance rides on the same day as the Melbourne Cup.

The field approaches the line in race two. Photos: Aidan Briggs Photo by Aidan Briggs

“It’s a great honour for us to have a race with direct entry into the Jericho Cup which is a race that has a lot of meaning and important history,” he said.

“There’s only a limited amount of direct-entry races and to have one on Melbourne Cup Day that is the only other 3200m race is pretty special.”