NEARLY 4000 people braved temperatures up to 34 degrees to watch six-year-old Apprehend ($6) win the $140,000 cup by three lengths.

Newitt shot the Tony Vasil-trained stayer four lengths clear 600 metres from the post and he held on to beat Hanks and Hiphopotamus.

Part-owner Glenn Tyler was thrilled with Newitt’s ride and the hard work of Vasil in the lead-up to the big day.

‘‘What a pleasure it is to be standing here with the Werribee Cup in my hand,’’ Tyler said. ‘‘This is a horse that has given us a lot of enjoyment over the years.’’

The lawns at Werribee Racecourse were a sea of tents and umbrellas as punters desperately sought shelter from the sun.

But the heat did little to temper their enthusiasm, with bookies reporting strong betting on each of the day’s nine races.

Werribee Racing Club chief executive Jeremy Crawford said while the crowd was slightly down on the club’s expectations, largely because of the heat, the decision to move the cup to January had paid off, with numbers still well up on last year.

He was pleased the day ran smoothly, given the club’s previous problems, which included issues with the track and meetings being called off because of heavy rain.

‘‘It was important to us to run a full day without any issues and we got through the day.

‘‘We have to continue building the event and providing entertainment. We want to make it a community race day.’’

Senior Sergeant Peter Nichols of Werribee police said only one arrest was made following a minor incident. Overall police were satisfied with the behaviour of the crowd.