SWAN Hill horses sailed downstream and flooded the Mildura track this week, with 30 scheduled to run there on Monday.
But only Heath Chalmers delivered, when the very lightly raced three-year-old gelding Immortal Weapon proved way too good for the field.
The field included his other starter Whatdoyamean (who ended in fourth) and Nathan Hobson’s frontrunning Reward The Sherrif, who faded to third in the straight.
However, for Swan Hill jockey Harry Coffey it was a very different story – he headed for Sunraysia with a book of six rides (a seventh was scratched) and came home with a very impressive three winners.
And one of those belonged to Chalmers in the $27,000 Sunraysia Daily Plate over 1000m.
Chalmers said this was only Immortal Weapon’s third race after a good first start had been followed by a very ordinary run, prompting being put out in the paddock for a while.
“He’s come back a nicer and stronger horse, although he probably hasn’t clicked yet, to know what he is doing,” Chalmers said.
“But I was happy to leave that up to Harry in the race, he’s ridden enough to know how to work it out.
“He’s had a couple of good, solid jump outs so we were happy to bring him to the races today, where it was good for him to take a sit.
“At a couple of his jump outs we were trying to take a sit on him but he was just jumping, and there wasn’t enough tempo for him to do that, so it was good to see him take it today and hit the line well.”
As there was plenty of that pace Chalmers and the horse had been looking for, Chalmers said he was very happy to see Coffey trail up in that position.
“I thought that would happen, and Nathan Hobson’s horse Reward the Sherrif would jump out and try to lead, which happened and we got a bit of cover behind, which was good,” he said.
“As I said, he hasn’t clicked yet, but when he does I hope he can win a couple more.”
Coffey agreed the run had panned out perfectly for what they wanted the horse to do.
“Logan (McNeil on Reward the Sherrif) did a good job for me and crossed the field, because my horse has been a bit fast in everything he wants to do,” Coffey said.
“And he has just been a bit too brilliant for everything in his trials and then when he gets to the races, he goes forward and doesn’t know how to finish off.
“So a little trail today probably really helped us, not only was it a good educational run for him, he was also able to win.
“He’s always promised a little bit, so it was nice he got a win for the owners because they have been waiting for something like that to happen as he has been a little bit frustrating.”
The win was Coffey’s second for the day. He took out the first on the card, won the fourth for Chalmers and then came out in the sixth for the powerful McEvoy stable and won that too.
In the $27,000 Mallee Big Screen Plate over 2000m he saddled Gary and Dean Alexander’s Detoron in the only race of the day without a Swan Hill-trained horse in it.
“She’s got the speed to be forward, but I’ve just found she is sort of a little bit reluctant to finish her races off,” Coffey said.
“The other day at Swan Hill I rode her a little bit quieter than she is normally used to and I thought she ran really well.
“It’s just unfortunate she ran into a better horse and today I was happy to go and sit outside the leader.
“But when there was a little bit of pressure at the first bend I thought I would just stick back in, and she got a lovely run and did no work, and then I was able to let her really build around the turn for home and put the race to the sword.
“She probably wasn’t powering to the line, but she actually won the race between the 600m and 200m, and she should now probably be able to go on and win another one in a low grade because she has been going so well.
“Today she took a lot of pulling up, so the team is obviously doing a good job with her.”
In the sixth – the $27,000 Cup Day Packages On Sale Handicap over 2000m – Coffey rode the even-money favourite Tewkesbury.
This erratic five-year-old gelding is another frustrating runner – just not at Mildura this week.
“We got a nice run, and he looked the horse to beat, but he had a little think in the straight and took a bit of talking into it,” Coffey laughed.
“I think today will hopefully give him a little bit of confidence because he’s got ability and has just been running second because he’s been running into better horses on the day.
“Hopefully he’s back into his winning ways now.
“I did hit the front early and wanted to make a good thing of it but in the end it was a long way up that straight.
“Racing is so competitive, and it doesn’t matter where you are, it’s just so hard to win, so he’s just been stiff I suppose and he sort of does get to the front and have a look for his friends, but luckily today we got the job done.
“Although as soon as we got past the winning post, the engines shut down. He only does what he has to.”
