'It's a credit to him' - emotional win for trainer whose father died overnight

The Talking Toff's victory on Bendigo Cup Day on Wednesday was an emotional one for trainers Michael Cornish and Donna Gaskin, who have endured a painful week worsened by the death of Gaskin's father Norm overnight.

A flooding crisis has devastated the couple's local town in Echuca, with people losing their houses and the worst-affected areas hit with an evacuation order.

"Norm was very big with us and our stable," Cornish told Racing Victoria after the emotional win.

"The owners rang us up today and said, 'We understand if we scratch it', and we said if we scratch this horse today Norm would be absolutely livid; that's the type of person he was.

"He's still with us now, I said, when I legged Neil [Farley] up. I said, 'Norm's riding with you today mate and he'll help you steer it'."

The Talking Toff wasn't overly fancied in the market, but stormed over the top of his rivals to get up in the last stride to deliver some much-needed enjoyment for his owners who have suffered this week too.

'We lease a farm and it's gone under water'

"He's a tricky horse, but I think today with Normie's help we got him home," Cornish said.

"He was always a part of Bendigo and the racecourse; he was our accountant, our instructor in life, one would say, [but] he let us know when we made a bad mistake, that's for sure. It's a credit to him where we are now."

On the floods, Cornish added: "We lease a farm and it's gone under water. I've seen some owners today and their faces. One of the owner's house is going under today and to see them being evacuated – it's a hard pill to swallow for us."

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