WE’VE seen Moruya gallopers line up at Goulburn last Friday, Narrandara on Sunday and at Kembla Grange on Tuesday, and as usual they’ve all done us proud with their performances around the region.
The Goulburn meeting had big fields in all nine races on the card with numerous city stables represented, making it a very challenging day for our runners.
Let’s start the review with the headline horse, Lynda Bundy’s Moorings Royal, who came out on top in the Benchmark 63 mile event, thanks to what can only be described as a brilliant and memorable ride by Neil Perryman, the old master at his best.
Moorings Royal had to contend with the outside gate in the field of 13 and Neil elected to settle back near the tail in the run.
He fanned out wide at the turn in almost last position and began mowing down the opposition up the straight, with the race developing into a two-horse battle royal, between Moorings and David Vandyke’s Serviaioss – both the widest runners up against the outside fence.
They raced neck-to-neck to the line with Neil extracting the most from Moorings Royal under very hard and energetic urgings, and he got the photo finish in his favour.
That was Neil’s only ride on the program and as usual he delivered in spades for Lynda and the Weekes clan.
Luke Pepper’s Seanessy finished close behind but just missed the placings.
Kevin Cassidy’s Goodlookin Rooster ran another promising race against city opposition in the opening two-year-olds’ sprint, finishing in a three-way photo for fourth but was far from outclassed, just out of the placings.
Luke’s Cognac Prince and Chicka Pearson’s Flaming Star ran into a very good win in the form of Red Dynamite from Tim Martin’s city stable but they both ran on strongly for fourth and third respectively in the other two-year-old sprint.
Lynda’s Moorings Capital, ridden by young apprentice Lachlan Pillar travelled wide all the way from an outside gate and just covered too much ground to make an impact at the end of the Benchmark 75 (1400m) event, while Chicka’s Stake Knife ran brilliantly again to claim a close second in the class three sprint where Luke’s Lawyers Limits finished a strong fourth from near last at the turn.
Chicka’s got Stake Knife in great form once again having placed close seconds at his last three outings and he’s knocking on the door to go one better – let’s hope he can do so next time out.
Five Moruya runners made the trip to Narrandarah and we ended with two close second place getters on a day with maximum fields in all eight races.
John Marzol’s new stable acquisition Ingleside showed plenty of promise when finishing second in the Maiden plate (1000m) and looks worth following after that good first-up run.
John Peiti’s Summer Duck Wood just keeps on improving, recording a brilliant second from the outside gate in the closing Benchmark 50 sprint.
He’s also knocking on the door.
It was an Australian Turf Club city status meeting which was held at Kembla Grange on Tuesday and Luke Pepper had both his two-year-old Zuccherina and the promising Miss Ready (looking for the hat-trick) step out in city company.
Zuccherina was far from disgraced in the open two-year-old fillies’ sprint finishing in the second half of the field with Jay Ford aboard and she will be a force to contend with when back to her own class within the region.
Jay also rode Miss Ready in the Benchmark 70 (1400m) event where she was well positioned at the turn but kept meeting interference and closing doors in the ruck up the straight, fading out of contention at the line.
It was a very good run under the circumstances, and I’ll be overlooking the form from that affair when she next steps out in the region in search of her third win.
As usual, the form from our Moruya meeting on July 13 is holding up well, and should be taken into account when making assessments and that certainly applies over the next few days, and what a treat we’re in for.
Today at Canberra Peter Afflick takes Peekay (race one) back to the scene of his last win and Worpali jumps in race eight.
John Law’s Moral Magic keeps improving and contends race six while Chris Hensler’s Jayko is an emergency in race seven and if he gets a run will take on Keith Dryden’s Roman Alliance, who went down by a nose in the Phil Blake’s Track Watch race at Moruya on July 13.
Luke has nominated Freetoair for the main race at Kembla Grange tomorrow and Greg Backhouse has nominated last-start second place getter Grager for the Benchmark 65 (1400m) event.
Moruya nominations are also in for Gundagai on Sunday, Forbes on Monday and Goulburn on Tuesday, including our headline horse Moorings Royal.
Check your guides for our acceptances at all of those meetings.
Until next week, good luck and good punting.
