By Colin Hodges
Raced at Dubbo, Friday, June 6
Plans for a new career as a clerk of the course mount were put on hold when Sizzle Minizzle returned to winning form in the 1400 metres Evergreen Turf Showcase Benchmark 82 Handicap last Friday at Dubbo.
Winner of the Country Championship at Randwick in April 2023, Sizzle Minizzle had not won again during 18 starts despite the best efforts of outstanding horseman and leading trainer Brett Robb from Dubbo.
“Trying something different I sent the horse to Queensland for a few starts and the runs were good however the performance by Sizzle Minizzle in the recent Parkes Cup was very disappointing,” Robb said.
“Unless there was a big improvement, Dubbo was to be the final start for Sizzle Minizzle before leaving the stable the next day for use by a clerk of the course.”
Crossing from a wide barrier, Sizzle Minizzle under Clayton Gallagher reached the lead after 300 metres and led for home against a good quality field.
Challenged down the straight by the very well performed Rhythm Is A Dancer (Mitchell Bell, $2.50 to $2.30 favourite) Sizzle Minizzle ($4.40 to $4.20) safely held off that horse by over a length with Macleay (Shannen Llewellyn, $19) in third place. There was a collective sigh of relief from the trainer, the owners and racing fans in general as Sizzle Minizzle returned as a winner and took accumulated prizemoney to over $580,000.
Winner of the prestigious Kings Hall Jewellers Silver Goblet 2YO Handicap over 1100 metres was the Lyle Chandler, Scone trained Four Degrees ridden by Aaron Bullock.
The strongly supported debut maker Blue De Beers ($3.50 to $3.10 favourite) and Song For Rosie were the leaders at the top of the straight before Four Degrees $3.80) swooped down the outside to score in a close finish from Ephemeral (Grant Buckley, $11) and Song For Rosie (Serg Lisnyy, $31).
The Final of the Dubbo RSL Club Winter Country Classic later this month is shaping as an enthralling race following the keenly contested heats last Friday.
In the 1300 metres Heat for the male horses, Let Rip and Hot Wok led by four lengths until claimed by the Brett Thompson trained Hammering Away (Mitchell Bell, $9.50) which then held on to beat Invasive (Shannen Llewellyn, $17) and Rolled Gold (Siena Grima, $20).
Likewise, the 1300 metres heat for the fillies and mares was a good race with the Mack Griffith trained Missy Moss (Aaron Bullock, $3.900 favourite) making it two wins in succession when coming from midfield to beat Hibiki Harmony (Mitchell Bell, $9.50) and the fast finishing Margaret’s Missile (Mikayla Weir, $19).
The Ross Lomax-trained Grins was responsible for a remarkable performance when winning the 1000 metres Fardells Heavy Haulage and Crane Hire Benchmark 82 Handicap.
Travelling at the tail of the field and many lengths behind a field of smart sprinters, Grins (Shannen Llewellyn, $12) produced a stunning finishing run to overhaul Castlebar Road (Jordan Quince, $6.50) and Destiny’s Bounty (Shayleigh Ingelse, $12).
Raced at Parkes, Saturday, June 7
Critically injured in a race fall at Tomingley in 2019, jockey Michael Hackett has not ridden since but maintains an interest in racing as the part-owner of Way To Divine, winner of the Parkes Services Club-Coradgery Cup on Saturday at Parkes.
Hackett, who rode nearly 300 winners, is now a committee member on Parkes Jockey Club and shares ownership of Way To Divine with local trainer Sharon Jeffries and her husband former jockey Dale Jeffries and for the big crowd it was a popular win.
Settling near last in the 1400 metres feature race, the strongly supported Way To Divine ($3.10 to $2.80 favourite) was sent forward from the 500 metres point by top jockey Mathew Cahill and down the straight wore down Geostorm (Clayton Gallagher, $3.50) to win by over two lengths with Loud (Kody Nestor, $8) over four lengths away in third place. Chris Foyster from Dubbo was very happy when Pontoon Prince which he owns and bred won the opening event, the 800-metre Central West Credit Union Maiden Plate.
Offspring of the former speedy mare Gillie Mooch which won races for Foyster, the Troy McCarney, Dubbo trained Pontoon Prince (Zoe Hunt, $4.20) raced close to the lead before scoring by a length from Ufana (Shayleigh Ingelse, $1.80 favourite) and Ransom’s Girl (Jordan Quince, $3.70).
Canberra trainer John Rolfe was disappointed when Prairie Legend was slowly away and finished unplaced however he had better fortune when William won the 1200 metres McPherson Parts and Services Benchmark 50 Handicap.
William (John Kissick, $6) raced outside the leader and edged ahead to beat Candid (Jake Pracey-Holmes , $2.80 equal favourite) and World Reign (Ken Dunbar, $6).
Ridden by Jake Pracey-Holmes for Orange trainer Melissa Harrison, Hasime ($2.80) resumed from a spell in the 1200 metres Agriwest Maiden Handicap and after being four lengths behind the leading trio approaching the home turn was a game winner from Phils Colours (Ken Dunbar, $2.60) and Sheza Widgee (Mathew Cahill, $11).
The well named Shaddup (from Demand Attention) won the 1000 metres Telescope Tyres Class One Handicap for Bathurst trainer Dean Mirfin. Swilken Bridge and Lockdown Lad led for home before Shaddup (Shannen Llewellyn. $4.60) swept to a convincing win over Satashi (Jake Pracey-Holmes, $5) and the $1.70 favourite Media Coverage ridden by Clayton Gallagher.
Raced at Gulgong, Sunday, June 8
So popular are the annual Gulgong races, bitterly cold winds, sleet and rain on Sunday did not deter a remarkably big crowd from attending the meeting.
The roll-up also of bookmakers was arguably the most for several years at a central west meeting and unfortunately for them the punters generally finished well on top with some bookies describing their results as “disastrous”.
Less than a week before Gulgong the Brett Robb trained Rothgate had beaten a big field at Warren and that good form continued in the 1200 metres Robert Oatley-Gulgong Cup.
Raced by Hugh Cameron and family, Rothgate (Shayleigh Ingelse, $3.80 equal favourite) took the lead from Dupenny then safely held the strong finishing The Great Armada (Shannen Llewellyn, $4.60) by over a length while Prince Of Sepang (Brontë Simpson, $5) was an honest third.
Leading apprentice Shannen Llewellyn won the final event aboard Shaddup on Saturday at Parkes and the next day won the opening two races at Gulgong, on the Steve Sampson, Cessnock trained Starinion ($2.10 favourite) and on the debut maker Chicken Legs ($8) trained at Bendemeer by Jane Clement.
The six-year-old grey gelding Interventionist looked magnificent when parading and raced accordingly in the 1800 metres Benchmark 58 Handicap.
Ridden a treat by Ken Dunbar, the Michael Mulholland, Dubbo trained Interventionist ($6) from midfield burst through the pack at the top of the straight and won by more than two lengths from fast finishing stablemate Shamister (Kath Bell-Pitomac, $7) and Sweet As A Kiss (Shannen Llewellyn, $3.20 favourite).
To the cheers of the locals, the Brett Thompson, Gulgong trained Jade Division ($3) ridden by Gulgong jockey Jake Pracey-Holmes, led for home and cleared out to win the 1200 metres Gulgong Bowling and Sporting Club Class Two Handicap by four lengths from Nest In The Hills (Shannen Llewellyn, $9) and Love And Light (Ken Dunbar, $2.70 fav.)
Surprisingly, a very bad result for bookmakers was the Michael Denison, Coonamble trained outsider Emphatic Bel which gave apprentice Shayleigh Ingelse a Gulgong double when winning the 1000 metres Benchmark 50 Handicap-Garth and Viva Fletcher Memorial Cup.
Ultra White (Zoe Hunt, $5) chased Emphatic Bel (Shayleigh Ingelse, $26 to $21) all the way down the straight but was beaten by nearly a length with Gold Smiles (Shannen Llewellyn, $5) filling third place.
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