Ima Wild Girl and Bamford keen to strike gold in Leonora Cup

More than 800km separates Leonora and Muchea, but that hasn’t stopped Peter Bamford from venturing to the northern Goldfields with a team of runners at Saturday’s Leonora Cup.

Bamford, who is based at Muchea, will saddle up Zorro’s Aim, Smokey Mountain, Reaction and Ima Wild Girl at the Leonora Racing Club’s (LRC) annual race meeting.

Irish apprentice Amy Jo Hayes is booked to ride all four of Bamford’s gallopers, highlighted by Ima Wild Girl in the $40,000 Leonora Cup (1600m).

Bamford, a long-time supporter of WA country race meetings, said he was looking forward to the 2024 edition of the Leonora Cup – a highlight of the gold mining town’s social calendar.

“I support Leonora, Leinster and Laverton – I go up there for the fortnight and race all the way through,” he said.

“It’s so important that trainers support country racing. They’re really special these sorts of meetings and it’s a great experience with lovely people.

“The races mean everything to the community and for a lot of these towns it’s their one big day out, and the more trainers and people that show support the better.”

This year’s Leonora Cup meeting has been dubbed the ‘Country Camp Out, Western Party’, with the LRC expecting to draw locals and visitors to Leonora for the standout social event.

Racing in the Goldfields-Esperance region is responsible for generating $54.3 million of the $1.3 billion racing contribute to the WA economy annually. Racing in the region also sustains 430 full-time jobs.

LRC President Ross Norrie, who is also the Shire of Leonora deputy president, thanked trainers who support the historic race meeting, which was first run in 1900, three years after the town was established.

“We don’t have any local trainers, so it’s important that industry participants continue to recognise the Leonora Cup as an event they want to bring their horses to,” he said.

“The Leonora Cup is right up there on our social calendar, it’s one of the biggest events the town has.”

The Peter Bamford-trained Ima Wild Girl is aiming for three consecutive victories, after winning at Northam her past two starts.

However, the four-year-old mare will have to overcome dirt-track specialist Got Lucky, who claimed last year’s Leonora, Leinster and Laverton cups.

Got Lucky, a son of He’s A Decoy, is set to carry 60kg and will be piloted by Kristy Bennett.