THE Jericho Cup is set to have a permanent presence in Warrnambool when the trophies and artwork commissioned for last year’s inaugural staging of the race meeting go on display next month.
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Warrnambool’s Cally Hotel will host the $40,000 original collection of two solid bronze statuettes and seven paintings in what is expected to be a permanent display.
Jericho Cup meet founder and entrepreneur Bill Gibbins chose the hotel ahead of a number of venues, including the Warrnambool RSL and Warrnambool Visitor Information Centre. Mr Gibbins said he was looking forward to seeing the collection on display in a such a publicly accessible location as the hotel.
Cally Hotel part-owner and manager Lucas Reid said he was rapt the hotel was chosen to exhibit such a significant collection and was hoping for a launch date by mid-March. He said the hotel’s connection to the racing industry made it a fitting home for the Jericho Cup artwork.
“We’ve always had strong ties with racing, in having a TAB here and we’ve always been a supporter of the May Racing Carnival,” he said.
The collection will be mounted in the hotel’s lounge area which is open daily.
Mr Reid, who comes from a family of keen racing goers, said he was proud to support Mr Gibbins’ work in founding the Jericho Cup which honoured the Light Horsemen of the Anzacs in World War 1.
The two bronze statuettes by war animal artist and sculptor Judith Leman depict the legendary war horse and winner of the original Jericho Cup, Bill the Bastard, and a Light Horseman in the charge of Beersheba. The seven paintings by artist Bill Wood include portraits of war horse Midnight and poet and Light Horse vet Banjo Paterson.
Following last December’s successful inaugural Jericho Cup, the meeting is scheduled to become an annual fixture on the Warrnambool racing calendar on the fourth Sunday after the Melbourne Cup. Mr Gibbins said he would ultimately like to see the cup become a two-day meeting. About 5000 people attended the inaugural nine-race meeting at Warrnambool in December and federal member for Wannon Dan Tehan called on Racing Victoria to make the Jericho Cup race day a standalone Saturday meeting.
