Kyneton trainer George Osborne did best of the district stables as racing returned to Seymour last Thursday, saddling up Tai Shan ($4.20) for a comprehensive win.
The Akeed Mofeed gelding beat Alimeter by 1½ lengths in the Ben Davey Plumbing Three-Years-Old Maiden Plate (1200m), giving jockey Craig Newitt the second leg of a double. 
Osborne said Tai Shan had been underdone at his two previous starts this prep due to lack of jumpout opportunities.
“His fitness levels are almost there now, which helps the cause,” he said. “Barrier one and a positive ride, it all turned out perfect.”
Osborne races Tai Shan in partnership with a number of stable clients including Racing.com presenter Clint Hutchison.
The gelding has had four starts for last week’s win and a minor placing.
The following day at Stawell, Osborne was back in the winner’s stall with $4.20 equal favourite Showbag after an all-the-way win in the Stawell Grampians Gate Caravan Park Maiden Plate over 1300 metres.
Ridden by Dean Yendall, the four-year-old Moshe gelding defeated Sweet Pickings ($7) by 1½ lengths.
Osborne bought Showbag at the 2017 Magic Millions Adelaide yearling sale for $12,000. Last Friday’s win came at his ninth start
Bentley purring
Another in-form Kyneton trainer, Neil Dyer, was in the money on the Sportsbet-Ballarat synthetic track last Sunday with Latest Bentley ($11) taking the Porter Plant 0-58 Handicap over 1400 metres.
The six-year-old Host gelding is out of Dyer’s 2002 Kyneton Cup winner Mrs Bently, whose progeny have amassed 34 wins.
Ridden by in-form apprentice Campbell Rawiller, Latest Bentley beat Rock’n’rollrock ($8.50) by a half-head.
Dyer bred Latest Bentley and races him in partnership with long-time stable clients including former Carlton and Melbourne footballer Vin Catoggio and his brother Laurie.
The gelding has now won four races with 11 minor placings from his 37 starts.
Patience pays
Broadford-based apprentice Tahlia Hope rode her first city winner since resuming from illness in April with a patient ride aboard the Dan McCarthy-trained Yeldarb ($7.50) in the $40,000 Ladbrokes Cash In Handicap over 1200 metres at Sandown last Sunday.
The win was a change of luck for Hope as the previous day at Flemington she was run down late aboard the Tasmanian galloper Shot of Irish and copped an eight-meeting ban for excessive use of the whip. 
Shades aid Donut
Seymour trainers Jamie Scott and Mark Thomas saddled up winners at Echuca on Monday with Square Donut ($8) and Carwelkin ($8.50) respectively.
Square Donut, a three-year-old Reward For Effort gelding, was having his second start for Scott after transferring from the Tasmanian stable of Dylan Clark due to the cancellation of racing in that state.
The gelding, ridden by the in-form Daniel Stackhouse, was a narrow but impressive winner of the Echuca Newsagency Maiden Plate (1400m).
Scott put blinkers on the gelding after his first run for the stable at Swan Hill.
“He was very green and I didn’t know much about him at Swan Hill,” he said. "I thought blinkers on and a little bit of encouragement doesn’t hurt him. 
“He learnt a lot from his first start and so did we. I think he’ll get out to a mile.”
Monday’s win came at Square Donut’s fifth start.
Carwelkin, a six-year-old Redente mare, made it two wins from her past three starts in taking out the Border Inn BM58 Handicap (1100m).
With promising apprentice Madison Lloyd retaining the ride, Carwelkin defeated Zizi La Fille ($8) by a half-length.
“The claim definitely helped with a good young girl on her,” Thomas said.
Carwelkin has now won seven races with 13 minor placings from her 44 starts.