The Valley - Friday 26th February 2021

1 CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME On behalf of the Moonee Valley Racing Club, it’s my pleasure to welcome you to Ladbrokes Friday Night Lights this evening as we once again partner with the E.J. Whitten Foundation. Tonight marks the tenth annual E.J. Whitten Foundation Race Night which acts as an important fundraiser for the great work the organisation does around men’s health and prostate cancer awareness. For those who aren’t aware, the E.J. Whitten Foundation is named after Ted Whitten, also known as “Mr Football”, a giant of the game who played 321 games at Footscray and was a tremendous ambassador for the AFL before losing his battle with prostate cancer. This foundation has done a tremendous job in raising funds and promoting early detection for prostate cancer and we’re pleased to have them join us in the Committee Room this evening. Looking back to last Friday night, I would like to congratulate the connections of Macroura, who were the lucky winners of the Group 3 Alinta Energy Typhoon Tracy Stakes. The three-year-old Snitzel filly was perfectly ridden by Jamie Kah, who is dominating all before her, with Ciaron Maher and David Eustace taking out yet another black-type race at The Valley this season. With just two heats to go of the Ladbrokes 55 Second Challenge, it’s a great time to check in on the series which saw Forever Free clock 56.00 last Friday. However, it is the Tony and Calvin McEvoy trained galloper Meteorite who holds the lead time of 54.54 which was achieved on October 2. The father and son training partnership are currently holding a cheque valued at $55,000 in his hands with thanks to Ladbrokes and only must survive two more heats. March brings about an exciting close to the Ladbrokes Friday Night Lights series with the running of the All-Star Mile and Alister Clark Stakes on Saturday March 13 and the William Reid Stakes on Friday March 19. Both are feature meetings on and off the track and I look forward to seeing you there. I’d like to thank you for attending tonight and trust you will enjoy your experience at The Valley. Don Casboult Chairman