Swan Hill-based apprentice Harry Coffey has become a first-race specialist in Adelaide, landing the opening winner three Saturdays in succession.
Last Saturday on the Parks track Coffey kicked off proceedings by leading all the way on first-starter Spiritual Girl ($2.50 favourite) to give trainer Will Clarken the first leg of a double in the Melbourne Parkview Hotel Two-Year-Old Plate (1000m).
Coffey’s win kicked off a good day for the juniors, who won five of the eight races.
Eran Boyd led the way with a double, bringing up the first leg on the Chris Bieg-trained Ample on Offer ($7.50), who came from just off the pace to take out the benchmark 75 Schweppes Handicap (1250m).
Boyd completed her double, as did trainer John Hyam, when Last Bullet ($7) won the benchmark 71 MAC Drink Driving? Grow Up Handicap (1400m).
Hyam’s first winner was She Ra ($6), who scored narrowly under Jason Holder in the Akeed Mofeed @ Goldin Farms Three-Year-Old Maiden Plate (1000m).
In the following race, Bieg notched the first leg of his own double when With a Bit of Dash came from worse than midfield under apprentice Matthew Poon to take out the benchmark 71 UBET Handicap (1400m).
The other apprentice to get on the board was Josh Cartwright, who brought the Shane Oxlade-trained Robocop from a rearward position to take out the benchmark 71 Casino Royale @ Morphettville 2/12 Handicap (2250m).
Jim’s off to Flemington
After losing one of his horses at Morphettville seven days earlier, it was good to see young trainer Peter Blanch in the winner’s enclosure last Saturday after Jim’s Journey took out the benchmark 90 Quayclean Handicap (1950m).
Jim’s Journey came from last with a long sustained run under Ben Claridge to score a 1¼-length win.
He will now be set for the Group 3 $300,000 Queens Cup (2600m) at Flemington on Saturday week.
Longer term, Blanch is aiming the five-year-old towards the Group 2 Adelaide Cup (3200m) in March.
Dual doubles for Jordsjo
Anna Jordsjo is another apprentice in form, having brought up two doubles in five days.
She started with back-to-back winners for Ken Sweeney at last week’s Balaklava midweeker, on Amative and Our Prospect, then on Sunday at Gawler she scored on Miss Murra for Wayne Francis and Glen Kent and on Raise a Dream for Grant Young.
The feature at Gawler was the Schweppes Gawler Cup (1500m), won by King’s Pardon for trainer Marilyn Smith and rider Damien Thornton.
The win gave Thornton a double, as he had combined with Tony McEvoy in the win of Toyshop in the 1000-metre opening event.
King’s Pardon is part-owned by Northern Territory racing man Viv Oldfield, who has also been in the news as part of the newly announced Australian consortium bidding for the Kidman & Co cattle empire.
Barnaby on the job
Barnaby Gask is the new chairman of the Oakbank Racing Club. Hailing from a well known racing family, Gask is a brother of ex-SA trainer Jeremy Gask, who now trains in England.