By ‘Pegs’
Kilmore trainer Hanna Powell has her small team flying at present.
At Geelong on Friday, Powell saddled-up her fourth winner from only nine starters when Kiss Me If You Can, at $3.70 odds, took out his third win on the trot when victorious in the $35,000 Viatek BM64 Handicap over 1547 metres.
The five-year-old gelded son of O’Lonhro and Ellakeira, ridden again by Luke Nolen, defeated Mister Dynamix, $20, by a half-head with Magnetic Prince, $5, a further two lengths away, third.
“It was a picture perfect ride by Luke and my instructions to him were ‘do the same as last time’, but he’s not a hard horse to ride,” Powell said.
“He’ll have his next start at Sandown on Wednesday week in a 64 rating.”
Powell bred the gelding and races him in partnership with her husband, former Fitzroy footballer Ian Powell, and other stable clients.
The ultra-consistent Kiss Me If You Can has now won five races with nine minor placings from his 20 starts, earning $142,132 in prize money.
The gelding’s half brother, Ultimate Kiss, a debutant Moe winner last month, will have his next start at Geelong on July 15. Luckless stablemate of late, Just Jake, will have his next start at Sandown on July 13 in a 64 rating race.
Ring The Bank scores
Seymour trainer Barry Goodwin started punters off on the wrong foot when he saddled up the appropriately named Ring The Bank, going from $101 to $61 odds, to victory in the first race at Sportsbet-Ballarat Synthetic last Tuesday.
The three-year-old gelded son of Sebring and Miss Piggy Bank, who had only beaten seven runners home in his only three runs, impressively ran down the race leader to record a comfortable win in the Whitford Liquid Waste Maiden Plate over 1000 metres.
With the application of blinkers for the first time, the gelding, ridden by Jarrod Fry, defeated Tokelau Drift, $5, by a length with Ruwima, $12, a further five lengths away third.
When interviewed by Racing.com’s Tim Yeatman after the race, Goodwin said the horse had a really good freshen up and he had really thrived at home.
“His work 10 days ago was absolutely enormous compared to what he was doing and I just needed to get him into a race to see if he could do something, which he came out and done,” he said.
Ring The Bank, formerly in the hands of Lindsay Park, was an $18,000 purchase at the 2022 Inglis February Online Sale by Mangalore Park Racing. The gelding is raced by manager Steve Hinchcliffe, in partnership with other stable clients.
One better for Independent
After a pleasing fourth placing in his debut race at the Swan Hill Carnival last month, Seymour trainer Linc Sullivan tinkered with the headgear on Independent, $12, which proved successful at Wangaratta on Saturday.
The Reward For Effort gelding was a narrow but impressive winner of the Mason Park 3YO Maiden Plate over 1170 metres.
Ridden by Seymour-based hoop Cory Parish, the gelding defeated Estilled, $6, by a half-head with Clever Art, $41, a similar margin away in third place. Independent is raced by the Boxall Family.
