Seymour co-trainers Lee and Shannon Hope had a big day at the former base, Kilmore, last Thursday — three runners for a winning double and a dead-heat second.
The father-son duo won with Best Suggestion ($4.80) and Tavonian ($4.20).
Best Suggestion, a six-year-old Any Suggestion gelding, was having his first run since February in the Kingsgate Village Kilmore BM64 Handicap (1200m).
Ridden by promising apprentice Lachlan King, the gelding defeated She’s Beneficial ($7) by a half-length.
Best Suggestion is a noted first-up specialist (7: 3-2-0), but Lee Hope says there is more to come,  especially when the tracks are wet.
“He’s a super wet-track horse and it’s good to kick off his winter program like this,” he said.
Best Suggestion has now won five races with 10 minor placings from his 34 starts. 
Tavonian, by the outstanding sire Tavistock, made it two from two this preparation in taking out the Buds and Branches Kilmore CG&E BM58 Handicap (1450m).
Given a peach of a ride by Lachie King, who thus outrode his 3kg claim in the Victorian provincial area, Tavonian defeated Sintara ($11) by 1¾ lengths.
Lee Hope says Tavonian, unlike his stablemate, doesn’t really handle the wetter tracks.
“Today’s conditions (soft 5) were perfect.” 
Tavonian has now had nine starts for two wins and three minor placings.
Both the Hopes’ Kilmore winners were purchased at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run sale.
Great Days for Jody
In the following race on the Kilmore card, local trainer Jody Thompson saddled up All Day Every Day ($4.20 favourite) for a nice win under Craig Robertson.
Coming off a second placing at Donald five days earlier, the four-year-old Captain Gerrard gelding was a comfortable winner of the Coolrooms Galore BM58 Handicap (1600m).
All Day Every Day was bred by the trainer’s father, Norm Thompson, who raced the dam, Satdies ’n’ Sundies, in partnership with wife Faye. Both share in the ownership of All day Every Day.
The Thompsons were back in the winner’s stall at Bendigo on Sunday with All Day Every Day’s half-sister Test a Day ($7.50).
By derby winner Testafiable, the five-year-old mare had no trouble running out the 2400 metres of the $23,000 APIAM Dairy Vet Services BM64 Handicap.
The mare was also ridden by Robertson.
Jody Thompson told Racing.com’s Brad Bishop after the race that with better luck the mare could have won three races this campaign.
“She’s just a little gun and she tries her heart out,” she said.
Test a Day, like her half-brother, was coming off a quick back-up. 
She had been runner-up at Donald the previous weekend.
Test a Day has now won four races with six minor placings from her 24 starts.
Gong wins, then gong win
Seymour trainer Barry Goodwin enjoyed last Saturday, winning with Smash the Gong ($8) at Wodonga then receiving his award for the 2016/17 Victorian picnic trainers premiership.
Goodwin blitzed the field with 23 winners, 11 clear of Kelvin Southey.
At the border track earlier in the day, the four-year-old Equiano gelding was a narrow but impressive winner of the Denise Casey 0-58 Handicap (1200m), defeating Max Master ($13).
The win gave popular hoop Jack Hill a running double, following his win in the time-honoured $25,000 Blacklocks Isuzu Truck Jack Maher Classic (1200m) aboard the Darren Weir-trained Prevailing Winds ($4).
Smash the Gong, raced by the Goodwin family, has now won four races with three minor placings from 13 starts.