Seymour trainer Kate Goodrich looks to have a handy performer on her hands after Too Hard to Handle ($3.90) scored an impressive win on the Geelong synthetic track last Friday.
The Hard Spun gelding, having his third start, was a convincing winner of the $25,000 LPA Lighting & Energy 3YO Maiden Plate (1000m).
Positioned back in the field from an outside barrier by Jarrod Fry, the gelding threaded his way through in the straight to defeat Blame Rodney ($31) by a length with Kid Mac ($7.50) a half-head away third.
“Today is a big thrill — he has had a few issues in the past but pulled it all together,” Goodrich said after the win.
“He’s a really nice horse and he’s shown us a lot all the way through. He’s still a bit of a baby.
“Last start Jarrod said he didn’t handle the wet track so that (third at Hamilton) was a really big effort.”
The owners, who include the trainer, her partner, Jon Hassall, and breeders the Hunt family, received $36,150 for last week’s win as the gelding is qualified for Super VOBIS and VOBIS Gold.
Yes, Mam
The Mick Sell-trained Mamtricol appears to have a liking for the Geelong synthetic.
Coming off a narrow defeat on the same surface a fortnight earlier, the four-year-old Elvstroem gelding was a narrow winner of the $25,000 M Active Maiden Plate (1300m) later on the Geelong program last Friday.
Ridden by Dean Holland, Mamtricol ($10) got the judge’s nod in a blanket finish over $2.70 favourite Spice Trader and Korrupt Girl ($5.50).
Mamtricol was having his 11th start.
Road trip rewarded
Kilmore trainer Lesia Masnyj made the trip up the Hume to Wodonga worthwhile last Saturday, saddling up Full Reward ($4.40) for a nice win.
The four-year-old Reward For Effort mare, ridden by Stan Tsaikos, was a convincing winner of the McRae Nissan Big One 0-58 Handicap (1100m), defeating Max Master ($9) by a half-length.
Full Reward, part-owned by the trainer, has now won two races with three minor placings from her 16 starts.
’Dock rocks on
Also at Wodonga, Kilmore jockey Jason Baldock capped off a big week when he won on the Ballarat-trained Easy Drama ($11).
Three days earlier the comeback hoop had ridden his first city winner since resuming after an eight-year-break, aboard the Tom Hughes-trained Ice Girl ($41).
The previous day at Corowa, Baldock rode Flying Frog ($3.20) to victory for Benalla trainer Russell Osborne.
Good times for Goble
Kilmore trainer and Mitchell shire councillor Annie Goble got a big thrill out of her nine-year-old gelding I Feel Good winning on the Ipswich Cup card last Saturday.
Now trained at the Sunshine Coast by ex-Seymour couple John Symons and Sheila Laxon, I Feel Good ($31) got up in the last stride to take the $100,000 Winter Provincial Stayers Final (2150m). The gelding was ridden by Micheal Hellyer.
Goble, who bought the gelding as a yearling, got a real kick out of the win.
“He loves the warmth in Queensland and has thrived up there in the care of my dear friends Sheila and John. Sheila just loves the old boy,” she said.
Symons said the gelding might head to the listed Caloundra City Cup on his home track on Saturday week.
I Feel Good, who started his career trained by Goble, has now won nine races with eight minor placings from 61 starts, for $289,282.
Pegasus soars
Kyneton trainer George Osborne’s Eastern Pegasus ($2.90 favourite) made it back-to-back Albury wins on Monday.
Ridden by Simon Miller, the Floral Pegasus four-year-old gelding handled the heavy 10 conditions with aplomb in taking out the Vision Screenprinters Benchmark 66 Handicap (1000m) by 2½ lengths.
“He was quite sharp when I asked him. It was a nice win,” Miller said on dismounting.
The win was Eastern Pegasus’s third from 13 starts. 
In the following race at Albury, Kilmore mare Test a Day ($18) put in a huge run, going down by a “pimple” to Hargy ($9). 
The Jody Thompson-trained Testafiable six-year-old is worth following.