A PRODUCTIVE Victorian picnic racing season for Bendigo jockeys and trainers produced another highlight at Yea on Saturday.
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On an afternoon marked by close finishes, a pair Bendigo gallopers fought out the finish in the day's feature event, the $6000 Yea Cup (2100m).
After much deliberation, the judge was unable to separate the Brett Charry-trained Grassini and the Anthony Barber-trained McGill, with a dead-heat being declared.
Adding to the intrigue and celebrations, both horses were ridden by Bendigo jockeys, with Courtney Pace taking the reins on Grassini and Craig Kirkpatrick in the saddle on McGill.
In an ironic twist, Kirkpatrick revealed the two jockeys had spoken earlier in the week about how they had never before fought out a finish.
"And then low and behold, the first time we do fight out a finish it's a dead-heat," he said.
"Courtney was pretty happy it was two Bendigo jockeys - we get along really well.
"We had a good laugh about it on the way home because Courtney was driving me home from the races. I might have been lucky to get home had I beat her.
"Sharing the cup is better than running second.
"I actually thought I grabbed Courtney on the line ... she obviously thought the same.
"It took a few minutes for the decision come through, you couldn't really split the difference on the photo."
Despite years of experience in the saddle, it was only the second time Kirkpatrick has been involved in a dead-heat.
His first at the Lockhart picnic races in the Riverina region of New South Wales, in 2009, holds a place in Australian racing history.
The finish involving Kirkpatrick aboard the Paul Banks-trained Panton and Mark Webber on the Dick Dale-trained Cameno Road is believed to be the only dead-heat finish in a race involving just two horses.
"They've actually got a mural done in corrugated iron on the jockeys' room wall of the two horses," Kirkpatrick said.
"I reckon it's something I will go the grave with pretty certain no one else is going to do it.
"I actually rode Dicky Dale's horse the week before and got off it to ride Panton and we've ended up dead-heating in a two horse race."
A cup victory for McGill continued a solid picnic season for the eight-year-old gelding and his trainer Barber.
The former New South Wales and Queensland galloper has won three of the five races he has contested on the circuit and will likely be set for a start in the St Pat's Cup at Yea on February 23.
A win for Grassini - the Bendigo Trainers' Association stayer of the year in 2018-19 - was reward for a remarkable training effort from Charry.
The tough-as-nails 11-year-old, who mixes his racing over the jumps and on the flat, was second up over the 2140m distance following a lengthy spell.
Pace became the 57th jockey to have ridden Grassini in his 104 start career.
After adding another victory at Balnarring on Sunday aboard Messika, Pace moved to 11 winners for the season.
The three-time premier picnic jockey sits equal-third is this year's race behind Max Keenan (15) and Shaun Cooper (13).
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