Race Meeting Report Thursday 18th April 2024

A 10 race program was completed on a very wet spring night, including:

• 2 heats of the JC Caffyn Plate for indigenous drivers
• 2 heats AGL Energy Club Menangle Where Horses Fly/Country Series

Tonight's competition winners were:

A 10 Race program was completed on a warm spring evening:

Today's competition winners were:

An 8 race program sponsored by:

                    NSW Standardbred Owners Association

                                                     was conducted on a cool, windy spring afternoon.

The competition winners were:

A cold, windy afternoon in Tamworth for a 7 race program at Paceway Tamworth.

Today's competition winners were:

A 10 race program was completed on a cold winter's afternoon:

Today's competition winner's were:

EMARGEE WINS THE JOAN BULLOCK MEMORIAL by Julie Maughan

Emargee had an all the way win in taking out the Joan Bullock Memorial at Tamworth on Sunday evening in what looked like a comfortable win but for trainer and reinsman Ricky Gordon he had to defended the victory in the Stewards room.

When Emargee shifted out down the home straight it allowed Rocknroll Annie from the Weidemann stables to take an inside run over the concluding stages.

It was a relief for Gordon when the Stewards gave the all clear and the Queenslander was happy to celebrate – especially after driving seven and half hours from Marburg to contest the feature race.

Tamworth trainer Barry Schipp maybe spacing the runs of his mare Tact Maria but he is most certainly securing some results with the method.

After commencing from barrier seven on Sunday night at the Tamworth Paceway Tact Maria had a convincing win in the Bearing Accessories Local Pace (1980m)

WILLIAMS GETS A WINNER by Julie Maughan

Former Queensland trainer Richard Williams has finally landed in the winner’s circle after a handy win in the Brian Betts 70th Birthday Pace with Coralie Joy.

A decision to stay in Tamworth and develop up a team is finally paying dividends with Williams nearly achieving a training double on Sunday night but had to be content with just one – Coralie Joy.

Williams was returning Midnight Montana to the Paceway after the gelding was retired from his race the meeting before when Williams was tipped from the gig but showed great skills to hang onto the reins and the horse on that occasion.

The only casualty was a new set of driving pants and a new set of colours after they were ripped as Williams was dragged along the track.

SUTHERLAND DRIVES HER WINNER by Julie Maughan

When you accomplish your first winning drive in this industry it is something you cherish for ever.

For Manilla reinswoman Courtney Sutherland she now has that first win on the board after wrapping up the Carnival of Cups meeting when she won the final event.

Sutherland enjoyed her first winning drive behind Jax Tellar – a horse that is trained by her father Chris with Courtney racing the gelding in partnership with her mother Donna.

IM WITH LEXY TAKES OUT STARMAKER by Julie Maughan

"She went good – she went super" was how Bathurst trainer Bernie Hewitt summed up the win of I’m With Lexy in the $15,000 Tamworth HRC Star Maker Final.

"I thought she was capable of winning it – she is starting to get to the top of her game" said Hewitt.

I’m With Lexy – a three year old Roll With Joe USA- Laughing Lexy filly – has now had 17 race starts for four wins and nine placings.

BETTER THAN MAX WINS TAMWORTH CITY CUP by Julie Maughan

Better Than Max was in terrific form in taking out the $12,000 Garrard’s Horse & Hound Tamworth City Cup with Sydney reinsman Brendan Barnes taking the reins.

Two years ago the 19 year old finished third in the Tamworth Cup behind the Bart Cockburn trained Katesaroyal.

This time it was a much favourable result and considering the horse and reinsman linked up just before the race the win was even more significant for Barnes who spoke highly of Better Than Max.

"He had good form going into that race" said Barnes

"I have seen the horse race around Menangle and I was confident before the race just on his class"

Golden Guitar Final by Julie Maughan

He was a 50/1 shot of winning but Magoogan turned out to be the worthy winner of the $25,000 Prydes Easifeed Golden Guitar Final for 2017 in a race that was action packed.

The win of Magoogan presented Ellalong trainer Michael Formosa his second Golden Guitar Final win – and even though he has trained two winners driving the winner seems to elude him each time.

Xavier won back in 2009 under Formosa’s training with Cameron Davies in the spider as Formosa elected to take the reins behind Staminator who finished fourth on that occasion.

Roll forward to the 2017 running and Formosa once again has two runners engaged – Somemondosomewhere and Magoogan – who both won their heats.

Formosa elected to take the reins behind Somemondosomewhere from the seven barrier while he secured the services of Mark Callaghan to take the reins behind Magoogan from the nine barrier.

The $25,000 Prydes Easifeed Golden Guitar Final at Tamworth for 2017 is shaping up as one of the best ever after six heats were conducted last Sunday evening with a track record broken in the first heat!

Julie Maughan takes a look at the heat winners and how they achieved their place in the Listed Classic race.