SWAN Hill trainers are surging towards the starting gates for next week’s bet365 Swan Hill June Racing Carnival with winners coming from every direction.
Nathan Hobson’s Hydrogen Power, after going nuclear at Seymour on Tuesday, is set to lead the charge.
But there is a lot more to it than that.
On Sunday there were two tracks, two Swan Hill trainers, one Swan Hill jockey with two wins, and one non Swan Hill jockey with two Swan Hill wins – it was almost too much to believe.
At Mildura, Austy Coffey and Con Kelly both racked up winners and Neil Farley rode both horses.
And at the same time in Ballarat, Swan Hill jockey Harry Coffey also racked up two winners – and two winners for the same stable.
A bingo caller would go bonkers trying to call the numbers.
Back at Seymour in a six-horse field for the $27,000 Tallarook Sheds Handicap over 1600m, Hydrogen Power lived up to its reputation as a slow starter before rider Craig Newitt started to get serious about the task at hand.
Ironically, a small field often involves more racing tactics as everyone vies for the best spot ahead of the run home.
And Newitt was the first to admit it all went the wrong way very quickly.
“He doesn’t help you, you know, he just plonks out of the gate,” Newitt explained.
“And once he was slow out I just sort of left him there, thinking he would naturally tow me up anyway, but he actually settled me well and there was good speed in the race to drag me into it.”
Hobson thanked Wayne Hyde, his co-owner in the horse, for spotting Hydrogen Power online and buying him.
The four-year-old gelding has now had two wins and three placings in its 10 starts for them since February this year.
“He’s been a tricky horse because he’s always slow away and doesn’t help himself and needs a lot of luck sometimes,” Hobson said.
“We’ve tried to lead on him a few times and I left an open book with Craig today and said if he’s slow away to maybe ride him on a very long rein and maybe that’s why he settled a bit better.
“And then Craig put him in the race, and it was a good ride.”
Hobson agreed the small field might have played into his hands and said Linda Meech has also ridden the horse a couple of times and done a good job.
“I loved the way she went with him the other day, out in front and bowling and it is great to have a win with him again,” Hobson added.
“After seeing him do well at Seymour over the mile (he had been running out to 2000m) there is a 0-64BM event, also over the mile, at the cup carnival Sunday so we might try him again there.”
On the Sunday, Hobson was also one of a swarm of Swan Hill trainers who had made the two-hour trip down the Murray for the afternoon, with seven of them spreading 25 starters across the seven-race card.
Kelly’s second win of the season – and his first in Victoria – was a heartstopper for the $27,000 Mildura GWM Cannon Handicap over 1400m when his four-year-old gelding Shal Exceed waited until the last race for a last gasp win in the last stride of the day.
But as close as it got – the official margin was a head – Kelly said he was never in doubt.
And now has his sights on a run for the horse during next month’s Swan Hill Cup carnival.
“Unlike Shal Exceed’s run eight days earlier in Echuca, when I was certain he had got up by a bee’s appendage, and didn’t, today I absolutely knew he had won,” the trainer said.
“When we headed to the track this morning we knew if he could match that Echuca form he had every chance of winning.
“He just needed a good position during the race and then give us the same finish as Echuca to win – and he has been jumping out of his skin all week so that’s what we expected.”
If victory was what Kelly expected, Austy Coffey not only had no great expectations, he admitted he had serious concerns his four-year-old gelding Mistavain would be right for the run.
He said the stable had been “pretty worried” about him after three very middling results this preparation.
“So we did a few different things with him, including putting on blinkers and using a tongue tie and it paid off big time,” Coffey said.
“Helped by a great ride by Neil Farley, who has always done a good job for us over the years.
“As this was only his fourth start this time in (and his second career win), I am pretty sure there are a few more good runs in him and he might be part of the team we nominate for the cup carnival at home – but after this one he will go up in the grades, which will make it a bit tougher for him.”
Meanwhile, back in Ballarat, Coffey was saddling several runners for the powerful local McEvoy stable, including the heavily backed debutant Oceansprint in the $50,000 Evergreen Turf Plate over 1000m.
Coffey had three rides for them for two wins and a very close second – not a bad day out.
And his first winner never looked in doubt.
Leaping out of the gate and quickly hitting its stride – and the front – the horse showed the benefit of six trials/jump outs before finally getting a start and looked in a class of its own, being eased down on the line.
“It’s really nice when the Calvinator provides sit and steers – we don’t have Tony at the moment, he’s up north, but Calvin is coming through with the goods,” Coffey laughed.
“And he would have been relieved to get this one early as he might have been copping a bit from some of the locals about when he might be going to get a winner.
“The owners have been very patient with this horse; he has had a lot of trials just to make sure he had everything was right when we went to the races.
“He’s a fast horse, he jumps, and he puts himself there – I thought he did a good job today.”
Two races later and Coffey was back in the winner’s circle with Simply Outrageous after the $37,500 Mitty’s Plate over 1500m.
Although it looked a little doubtful at the last minute when the horse would not load.
Finally, Coffey dismounted, and the barrier attendants finally cajoled the two-year-old gelding into the barriers.
Following the win Coffey agreed he was lucky to be heading home straight after the meeting as half the Wendouree Football Club are shareholders in the horse and were there to see its win.
“It might have been a very difficult walk through the car park if we hadn’t won, and it might have been a pretty demanding night if I got stuck here celebrating with them,” he grinned.
“But, yes, it was a good win, although Simply Outrageous is still a bit green and was having a look around late.
“But she did get a lovely run, so she was probably entitled to do what she did.
“And as she still has a lot to learn, I think the McEvoy team will be able to have some fun with her going forward.
“She ran in a tough Vobis race at Ararat in her first start and wasn’t able to quite get up there, finishing second, but today she has butted up and she’ll only get better.”
