Carlton captain Patrick Cripps had plenty to celebrate on Saturday, joining a crowd of 70,414 at a cold and blustery Flemington as his horse Birdman stormed down the outside to claim the $3 million VRC Champions Stakes over 2000 metres, capping a memorable spring for the Blues skipper and his AFL club.
Birdman's Big Win and Cripps' Syndicate Delight
Cripps is part of an ownership syndicate that includes a number of Carlton identities, and while he was quick to acknowledge his stake was modest, that did not stop him from celebrating with full enthusiasm in the owners' enclosure.
"I had about a toenail in it, but I carried on like I was the majority owner," Cripps told television broadcasters after the race, laughing as he reflected on the win.
He credited former Blues assistant coach John Baker as the driving force behind the syndicate's involvement with Birdman, saying Baker was "the mastermind behind it." Cripps described the experience as a great feeling, praising jockey Ben Melham for the quality of the ride.
The Champions Stakes crowd was the largest recorded for that race day since 2017, and when combined with attendance across the four-day Melbourne Cup carnival, the total through the gates reached 307,889.
A Young, Festive Crowd Takes Over Stakes Day
The atmosphere at Flemington on Saturday bore little resemblance to the traditional "family day" image the event once carried. The trackside lawn area was packed with teenagers and young adults socialising, drinking and catching the occasional race, giving the venue more the feel of an outdoor music festival than a classic racing fixture.
The energy of the crowd was so boisterous that horses needed to be redirected away from the lawn after their races to avoid being startled by the noise. It was a marked shift in the demographic profile of the spring carnival's final day.
Lawborough Also Shines; Slater in the Circle
Earlier in the day, Lawborough, ridden by jockey Jye McNeil, claimed victory in the HKJC World Pool Grand Handicap despite not being among the pre-race favourites, finishing with a strong late run to take the win comfortably. The horse was so fired up after the race that it was reluctant to slow down even when television presenter Billy Slater tried to get alongside for a quick interview.
McNeil drew laughs when he quipped that the horse was behaving like "the young blokes waiting for Fisher," a nod to the festival-like crowd energy on the day.
Cripps Looks Ahead to New Blues Era Under Fagan
The Champions Stakes win rounded off a remarkable off-season stretch for Cripps, who is now looking ahead to preseason training later this month. His excitement extends well beyond the racetrack, with Carlton having recently secured triple-premiership coach Chris Fagan as the club's new head coach.
Cripps was open about his enthusiasm to begin working with Fagan, suggesting the new coach was walking into a club already buzzing with momentum. The Carlton captain's ebullient form at Flemington is likely a preview of the energy Fagan will encounter when the two finally sit down together in the coming days.
For a club that has long tested the patience of its supporters, the combination of on-track optimism and a Birdman victory in the mounting yard made for a genuinely uplifting weekend for the Blues faithful.
