The Valley

A DAY TO REMEMBER TRAVIS HARRISON The Moonee Valley Racing Club will today honour the late Travis Harrison with the annual running of the Travis Harrison Cup. Travis Harrison was a promising young apprentice jockey before his untimely passing aged just 18 in 1996 - tragically losing his life in a car accident. Travis came from a strong racing pedigree and soon translated this with a rapid 88 winners in the saddle - the most notable of which coming with a victory on Suma Peace in the Group 2 Diamond Jubilee Stakes (now the Sunline Stakes) at The Valley in 1996. Today’s race marks the 25th year that the MVRC has conducted the Travis Harrison Cup. Since its inception there have been some sentimental winners. In 2000, Travis’ uncle, Cranbourne-based Doug Harrison, won the event with Another Neptune, while in 2018 his cousin Craig Williams added the race to his long list of honours. Craig had long hoped to win the event, with the Paul Preusker-trained Magic Consul making his dream come true. Craig recalls being a 58 kilogram 15-yearold with little interest in racing, but credits the success of his cousin as his shining light in the saddle. Matt Hill described the moment perfectly as Williams seemed to be ‘riding with an angel on his shoulder’. 1 9 7 8 - 1 9 9 6

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