Seymour hobby trainer Jamie Scott had Night King ($17) cherry ripe for a first-up win at Echuca on Sunday and the gelding didn’t let him down.
The three-year-old son of Dawn Approach and Sing For Us came from the rear of the field for an impressive win in the Echuca CIH Maiden Plate (1200m).
Giving Dylan Dunn the first leg of a riding double, the gelding defeated the Kyneton-trained Lavrovsky ($4.60) by 1¼ lengths with well backed $3 favourite Life In Manhattan third.
Night King was having his first run since an unplaced debut on his home track last December.
Only slow but honest
Omen punters cleaned up in the following race at Echuca’s Mother’s Day meeting when Kyneton trainer Jarrod Robinson and Kilmore hoop Jason Baldock combined to take out the Hygain Super Vobis Maiden Plate (2100m) with Only a Mother ($5).
The four-year-old Lope de Vega gelding defeated Tarcisius ($12) by a short half-head.
“He’s a big, slow horse but really honest,” Robinson said.
“He’s nearing the end of his first prep now. Hopefully next prep he’ll get to 3000 metres races as he’ll stay all day.”
Only a Mother, who was passed in on $35,000 at the 2016 Inglis Premier yearling sale, is raced by the staff at Woodside Park. He has not been out of a place in his five career starts.
The win turned a little sour for Baldock as he was suspended for 11 meetings after the race for excessive use of the whip.
Osborne on a roll
Kyneton trainer George Osborne extended his good recent run when he saddled up Southern Turf ($4.80) for a narrow win in the Independent Cranes BM64 Handicap (1200m) at Echuca.
The four-year-old Turffontein gelding, ridden by Andrew Mallyon, defeated Greetings Ned ($21) by a half-head. Part-owned by Osborne, Southern Turf has now won three races with seven minor placings from his 20 starts.
The following day Osborne journeyed to the border town of Albury and was back in the winner’s stall.
Osborne saddled up Nothing But a Saga ($11) for a nice win in The Essential Utensil Benchmark 66 Handicap (1000m).
Racing for the first time since an unplaced run at Caulfield on Boxing Day, the five-year-old Real Saga mare came from second-last on the turn. Victorian apprentice Alana Kelly angled for a rails run and got it, resulting in an impressive 2½-length win over $2.80 favourite Booradley.
Nothing But a Saga, who started her career with Logan McGill, has now won six races with seven minor placings from her 31 starts. 
She was Osborne’s eighth winner from 25 starters since April 20.
Glory for Cory
Congratulations to Seymour jockey Cory Parish on his second Group 1 success at Morphettville (SA) on Saturday.
The expat New Zealander, who won his initial Group 1 winner aboard Boom Time in the 2017 Caulfield Cup, piloted Qafila ($14) to victory in the $500,000 South Australian Derby (2500m) for Lindsay Park. 
The only filly in the race, Qafila defeated Savvy Rock ($26) by 3½ lengths.
Parish said some observers had expected him to remain on one Group 1 win for the rest of his career.
“When I won the Caulfield Cup, you get a few people that say, ‘Oh, that’s just a fluke,’ and they don’t think you’ll see him do it again. But I’ve done it again!” Parish said.
As with his Caulfield Cup win, Parish was called up for the ride at the last minute. He was originally booked for rides at Donald last Saturday.