Central Victorian trainers won four of the seven races at Saturday’s Marong Cup meeting at the Bendigo Jockey Club.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While Echuca trainer Daryl Archard combined with gun apprentice hoop Lachlan King to win the feature event with Blue Jangles, the locals had plenty to cheer about after Debbie Wills trained her first winning double and Danny Curran and Brent Stanley also scored victories.
Wills only has three horses in her yard, but she produced two of them to win on one of the biggest days of the Bendigo racing calendar.
Ahsha had only won one race from 28 career starts at Christmas last year, but she’s turner her form around with a strong win at Wodonga on Boxing Day and a thrilling victory at Bendigo on Saturday.
The five-year-old mare edged out another local galloper – the Paul Banks-trained Mr Cooley – in the Wild Plumbing 0-58 Handicap (1100m).
A little more than half an hour after Ahsha’s gutsy win, Special Feeling gave her trainer just that when he saluted in The Bridge Hotel 0-58 Handicap (1300m).
Special Feeling relished the hot speed set in front and he finished the race off strongly down the outside under the guidance of jockey James Winks.
The victory capped off a consistent run of form for the son of Rothesay.
It was his second career win and he’s only finished worse than fourth once in his past eight starts.
Curran’s pre-race confidence that Welcome Stryker would run a bold first-up race was on the money.
Welcome Stryker outstayed his rivals to win a fast-run National Heating and Tiles 0-58 Handicap (1600m).
Better known for his performances over 2400m and above, Welcome Stryker powererd home to defeat Haunted Stream by more than a length, with odds-on favourite Dash For Dee a further two lengths away in third.
Sutton Grangae-based Brent Stanley looks to have another nice young horse in his care after Casadiva won on debut.
The two-year-old filly proved too strong for highly-rated duo Aristocratic Miss and Krone from the Tony McEvoy and Darren Weir stables respectively.
Casadiva was purchased by Cloud 9 Thoroughbreds for $1,150,000 at last year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Stanley’s good form continued when Lucky Fish won its second-straight race at Ballarat on Sunday.
Stanley has had four winners from his past 12 runners.
Meanwhile, Bendigo jockey Brad Rawiller will ride the Darren Weir-trained Native Soldier in next Saturday’s Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield. Native Soldier was at $15 on Sunday in the TAB's fixed odds market.
