57 In winning last year’s renewal Gold Medals became the first horse to have four top two finishes in the Annual, and the only dual winner to have won the race more than two years apart. On top of that it is almost certain that no other horse has raced at nine May Carnivals. Gold Medals made his carnival debut in a two-year-old race in 2012, after winning on debut here in April 2012. He has raced at every carnival since save for 2013 when his focus was the South Australian Derby. In addition to his successes in the Annual the son of Elvstroem won the Champion Novice Hurdle in 2016 and the Brierly Steeplechase in 2018, a race he finished second in in 2019. He also competed in the 2015 Warrnambool Cup, finishing seventh. Mark McNamara: April 2022 Please note that an historical display celebrating 150 years of the Grand Annual Steeplechase may be viewed in the Woodford Lounge. The grandest of rivals, Gold Medals and Zed Em, navigate the final jump in the 2021 Waterfront by Lyndoch Living Grand Annual Steeplechase. Gold Medals would ultimately win the race, becoming a dual winner in the process. LAST YEAR The old warriors Gold Medals and Zed Em cemented the greatest Grand Annual rivalry across 149 years and 144 runnings of our iconic race. They had fought out the finish in 2018 and 2019, and finished second and third respectively to Ablaze in 2020. Last year, Zed Em was brave in leading for much of the race but could not hold off the local hero in the closing stages.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODA1NTI=