There were excited trainers young and old celebrating at the Wine Country Race Club’s Beaumont track race meeting on Monday.
The racing kicked off with the NHN Group F&M Benchmark 58 Handicap (1350m), and what a result for young Wyong trainer Nikki Hodgson. Hodgson only secured her trainers licence in November, and she saddled up five-year-old Boho Chick which she bought for $2000. Aaron Bullock had the mount and the mare finished strongly from midfield to win by half a length. Boho Chick has had five starts for Hodgson for wins at Port Macquarie and now the Beaumont track, for prizemoney of $26,250. Hodgson a former track work rider for the Snowden stable was a proud lady when her mare retuned to scale. “It was a good win, and she tries hard and that’s half the battle. I think the more pressure she is under and the harder she is ridden, the better she goes” Hodgson said.
Veteran Coffs Harbour trainer Warren Gavenlock is contemplating backing up Monday’s winner Wizard Of Oz in Saturday’s Newhaven Park Country Championships Qualifier at Coffs Harbour. Chris Waller formerly trained Wizard Of Oz who won three from eight since entering Gavenlock’s stable. Apprentice Zac Wadick gave a polished display up front on the winner which carried 60 ½ kilograms. Coolmore paid $1.1 million for the horse when a yearling but his present owners bought him for $50,000 in January last year. “I will take him home and if he eats up well, we might have a crack at the Championships Qualifier on Saturday” Gavenlock said.
Paul Perry’s three-year-old See You Again landed a nice plunge in winning the Klosters Maiden Handicap (1150m). It was the easiest win of the day as the son of Menari raced away in the straight to win by 4.39 lengths. See You Again had not been placed in any of his eight starts prior to Monday however, he is apparently a flash track worker. At one stage of betting he was backed from $14 into $6. Reece Jones rode the winner, and he completed a double aboard the Hunter Valley trained Kennywyn in the final event the Vale Jim Johnstone Benchmark 66 Handicap (1150m). A rank outsider at $41, Kennywyn had only won two from sixty-seven prior to Monday. Les Roberts trains the nine-year-old at Muswellbrook.
Arguably the GOAT Frankel sired the winner of the Hungerford Hill Class 1 & Maiden Pate (2100m). Frankie’s Me Dad, a three-year-old filly did her dad proud at only her third start. Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace she was bolting on the home turn and went to win by 1.4 lengths.