IT was a great training effort by Brett Cavanough to take out the Shorty Cribb Aberdeen Cup with Still Undaunted ($6.50) at Muswellbrook on Sunday, barely 10 minutes after claiming the Wauchope Cup with Brazen.
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Still Undaunted brought up his third successive win after claiming both the Binnaway and Brewarina Cups over the past six weeks.
Travis Wolfgram partnered the four-year-old Duporth gelding, who was headed in the straight on several occasions by the runner-up Gadfly ($3.60) before getting the bob on the line to score a narrow victory.
Wolfgram was full of praise for the trainer and horse.
“He went well. He jumped out well and I was able to sit behind the leader, it was a tough effort,” he said.
“He really had to fight up the straight and was gone two or three times. The runner outside me actually put a head on me but he just kept fighting. He really wanted to win.
“It was a great training effort by Cav [Cavanough].
“He took the horse out west to give him a bit of confidence, he got two wins out there at the non-tab meetings and he brought him here today.
“It was a step up in class but he had two good runs leading into it and he’s a horse racing with a lot of confidence.
“He’s tough and has a big heart. He feels like he has some ability, how much I’m not sure, but he’s a fighter and that’s what you want in a horse.”
The $2.60 race favourite, King Lear trained by Tony Newing, finished a half length behind in third.
Paul Snowden, his wife Lyn and daughter Lisa were on hand to present the trophies for the Shorty Cribb Aberdeen Cup and Greg Cribb Memorial, in honour of Lyn’s late father and brother.
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THE John Ramsey-trained Knockout Girl scored an impressive three length victory to take out the 900m Greg Cribb Memorial Red Crown Handicap.
Scone=based Ramsey was full of confidence coming into the race, believing his Not A Single Doubt filly would be hard to beat.
Jockey Greg Ryan settled the filly just off the leader in the early stages, before hitting the front in the straight and drawing away for a dominant win.
“I expected her to come here and win,” Ramsey said.
“It was a good run in Sydney last start but things just didn’t go her way.
“She won a trial down there over 900m and won it easy, so she’s got a fair bit of ability.
“We were just coming back here to get her a win and get her confidence up. It worked well.”
Knockout Girl ($4.20), was bred and is owned by Ramsey’s father Stuart from Turungga Stud.
“He should be happy now,” Ramsey laughed.
He said he would keep the filly fresh and look for another race over the 900m to 1000m in three weeks.
“She’s got a fair bit of speed. She probably could get 1100m but I’ll keep her to the 900m to 1000m for now.”
It was Ramsey’s second victory in the Greg Cribb Memorial, with his filly Unknown Destiny winning the 2014 version.
The Kris Lees-trained Mimic ($5.50) finished strongly to finish second, with the 2017 race winner Californiasurprise ($3.50) from the Snowden stable, a length behind in third.
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A WELCOME return to the winner’s circle for jockey Shane Arnold who booted home the Peter Clare-trained Trinidad ($14.00) to victory in the 900m Silks Function Centre 3YO & Up Maiden Plate.
It’s been six months since Arnold tasted success and despite an easy run in the race, his strong riding to the line helped secure a narrow victory for the four-year-old Snippetson gelding.
“A long time between drinks, I know that much,” Arnold joked.
“This horse went terrific.
“I think he can be a nice horse next prep as long as his barrier manners improve.
“He feels like a ticking time bomb in there.
“We are going to try something with him, a barrier blanket or a blindfold, and go from there.
“Once he’s out he’s perfect. I had everything go my way.
“A saloon passage opened up coming to the corner and he was very strong to the line.”
Previously trained in Sydney by Mark Newnham, Trinidad was having his third start for Clare.
He had been forced to trial after throwing jockey Jenny Duggan before the start at Cessnock on June 4.
Clare conceded Trinidad had been “a handful” but was very happy with the win.
He beat the $2.10 race favourite Wrongfully Wrong, trained by Stephen Gleeson by a neck, with Foxy Queen ($3.60) trained by Geoff O’Brien, third.
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HELAKU, a two-year-old Written Tycoon gelding, showed his class to blitz his older rivals over the 1280m in the Pirtek Muswellbrook Maiden Handicap.
Trained by Peter Snowden, Helaku was sent out $2.20 favourite and didn’t disappoint scoring an effortless four and three quarter length win.
The gelding, a $170,000 weanling purchase raced by James Harron Bloodstock, is now headed to a metropolitan race on the back of his debut win.
Snowden considers Helaku, who was ridden by Mitchell Bell, is now up to mid-week city class.
“It was a good experience for him all around today,” he said.
“He’s only a two-year-old and still very new.
“I’ve done this before and a trip away is good experience, on the float for four or five hours and standing here for another three or four hours, it’s good education for them and he did everything right today.
“It will be a good confidence booster for the horse especially for later on.
“He did what he’s been threatening to do for a while and he’ll improve on that.
“He’s up to city class for sure.
“He’ll go to a midweek meeting and next and hopefully go on from there.
“I think 1200m to 1400m will pull him up. He’s a speed bred horse and found plenty when asked today, so it’s good to see.”
Helaku beat the Stephen Jones trained Fort Jackson ($4.40), with Another Sonette ($10), from the Lees stable a length and a half behind in third.
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BOCHY ($3.90) is headed for a mid-week metropolitan start following his gutsy win in the Star Turn @ Vinery Stud Benchmark 65 Handicap over 1500m.
The victory continued a great run for Kris Lees, who bettered his best season on Saturday, when he saddled up 161.5 winner.
Raced by Debbie Kepitis, a co-owner of champion mare Winks, the three-year-old scored a neck victory to bring up his second career win from four starts.
“It was a good win and he’s earned his chance to start in town now,” Lees stable foreman Keyren Forbes said.
“He could go well in a mid-week race over the winter and I’d say that’s where Kris will start him next.
“He’s only a little bloke today and it was a really tough win with the 61kg. He was caught wide but still able to fight on well and win.”
Jockey Andrew Gibbons said he couldn’t claim any kudos for the victory.
“He did it all himself,” Gibbons said.
“Things didn’t go as planned and I was caught out wide. I didn’t want to pull him around too much under the big weight.
“He knuckled down and got the job done and it was a very good win.”
Bochy beat the Brett Cavanough trained Hot Pistol ($7) by a neck, with Spinning Gold ($13) from the Jeff Englebrecht stable, a long head behind in third.
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A FRESHEN up and drop back in distance were the keys to success for the Louise Munce-trained Little Steiny ($15) who upset some of the more favoured runners to take out the 1280m Dimmocks Quality Meats Class 2 Handicap, ridden by Grant Buckley.
The three-year-old gelding finished third at his last start at Muswellbrook on May 21 over the 1450m.
Munce said she felt he hadn’t run out the distance that day and decided to look for a shorter race.
“I tried him over further ground but he just wants to race hard early so I freshened him up and over the 1280m he’s delivered the goods,” Wyong-based Munce said.
“He was fantastic out of barrier 15.
“I really thought he would ping the gates and Bucko rode him a treat, getting him one off the rails.
“At one stage I thought he might have been a stayer but he just wants to get out and go hard so we will keep him fresh now.”
Little Steiny beat the Mark Schmetzer-trained I Am Impressed ($41) by half a length with a further half length to the Lees’ favourite Stellara ($4).