By ‘Pegs’
SEYMOUR trainer Stephen Brown achieved the best of the district stables at Kilmore Racing Club’s turf meeting at bet365 Park Kilmore on Thursday.
Brown saddled-up the consistent Munsa Magic, paying $9.50, for a comfortable win in the Arilla Retirement Village Maiden Plate over 1600 metres.
Ridden by Mitchell Aitken, the six-year-old Poet’s Voice gelding coming from back in the field got up to defeat Nefertit’s Secret, $5, by a length with the Alicia Macpherson-trained King Of Memphis, $13, a further two lengths away in third.
Formerly raced in New South Wales, the gelding was purchased by Brown privately in mid 2020 and is now raced by his wife, Elisha Brown.
“We gave him a bit of time off as he had swelling in a joint,” Elisha said.
The win was the 12th start for the Browns.
Elisha said the gelding would most likely have his next start in a Benchmark 58 in a heat of the Wagga Country Cup series on March 7.
Munsa Magic had six minor placings, four with Brown, prior to his win from 25 starts.
A highlight on the eight-race card at Kilmore was the win of apprentice Matthew Chadwick aboard the Gavin Bedggood-trained Drone Strike, a $1.70 favourite.
Apprenticed to Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr, the win was the young horseman’s first ride in a race.
Two from two for the General
The newly-acquired Avid General made it two wins from as many starts for Kilmore trainer Jody Thompson at Yarra Valley on Saturday.
Confidently-backed from $8.60 to $4.60, the gelded son of Casino Prince and Go Diva Go, coming off a Buchan Picnics win a fortnight earlier, began brilliantly and burnt off the opposition to take out the Shades of Pink Diamond 0-58 Handicap, over 1000 metres.
Raced beautifully by promising apprentice Hannah Le Blanc, the gelding defeated A Lone Hero, $7, by three and a quarter lengths with the $3.40 favourite Red Jewels a further three quarters of a length away third.
“He settled in to his new surroundings really well,” Thompson said.
“We thought when he drew a gate, he would be very hard to beat, as I’m pretty sure he broke the track record at Buchan and he dropped 10 kilograms from that win.”
The gelding was previously trained in South Australia by John Macmillan, and is now raced by Thompson, her parents Norm and Faye Thompson, son Ash – who saddled-up and strapped the gelding – and former Kilmore trainer Angie Barton.
Avid General has now won six races with four minor placings from 26 starts.
In the blood . . .
Former Kilmore resident and son of former Kilmore trainer, the late Ricky Thompson, Kyal Thompson, is ‘over the moon’ with the success of his mare, Well In Sight, which he part-owns
Trained at Albury by Mitchell Beer, the three-year-old daughter of Shalaa and Tresor has won three races on her home track from as many starts.
Having driven up to the border town to witness each of her three wins and enjoying the hospitality of Albury Racing Club, Thompson is pinching himself with the ‘ride’ he is enjoying.
“To have my pop Norm with me to witness two of the wins has been awesome,” Kyal said.
“Mitch has done a great job in spacing her wins.”
Part-owned by Patriot Bloodstock, which includes SKY presenter and racecaller Anthony Manton, Well In Sight, collected the BOBS Silver Bonus in each of her wins and has collected $53,715 from her three starts.
Dederang Cup to Dwyer
Leading picnic trainer Seymour’s Don Dwyer saddled up the Dederang Cup winner Foxtrot Mo, paying $3.80, on Saturday.
The consistent Uncle Mo six-year-old gelding was a narrow winner of the Milestone Chemicals Dederang Cup over 1650 metres.
Part-owned by Dwyer and the Seymour-based Plant family, the win was the gelding’s fourth from his 28 starts.
The win gave Dwyer and leading picnic rider Shaun Cooper a winning double as they were successful with At Large, $4, in the previous race.
Part-owned by the trainer’s partner Mary Blackshaw, the Wanted six-year-mare has won six races and has nine second placings from her 36 starts.
Kyneton trainer Steven Noble was also successful on the Dederang card.
He took out the Maiden Plate with the Bernardini six-year-old mare Living On, $12.
Ridden by Dani Walker, the mare has had two minor placings prior to her win.
