Matt Wiltshire (far right) won a blanket finish in the Werribee Gift on Saturday. 85451_15 Picture: DAMIAN VISENTINI
FOOTBALL fans who braved Saturday’s wet, cold and windy conditions were given a special treat at the Avalon Airport Oval with the first running of the Werribee Gift taking place at half time during the Werribee and North Ballarat match.
A star studded line up of runners including last year’s Stawell Gift winner Matt Wiltshire and 2012 Victorian Women’s Sprinter of the Year Tara Domaschenz took to the track keen to take home the $1000 prize money on offer in the 100 metre handicapped event.
With the crowd eagerly anticipating the race, Wiltshire came flying home in the final stages to take out a blanket finish involving five of the six runners in the field.
In his post-race interview Wiltshire thanked the Werribee Football Club and the organisers of the race, AFL Victoria and the Wyndham Council.
He said it was great to get through the cold conditions unscathed as he works back to top pace having taken a break from racing.
“There is still a bit of work to get back to the pace I had at Stawell. I’m still about four metres off the pace I had there,” he said.
Werribee Tigers CEO Mark Penaluna was confident the race would be good entertainment for all patrons.
“We would like to make this an annual event,” he said.
“This is our community day and there will be a lot of new people who can enjoy the race as well as the football and the various community activities”.
