Rod Symons is enjoying a good year with his home-bred stock and added another winner to the list on Saturday when Luna Chara ($5.50) broke out of maiden company over 1450 metres at Tatura.
The win was well deserved after four placings in the filly’s previous six outings.
Patrick Moloney made his only ride for the afternoon count. He settled outside the lead and had the race in his keeping a long way from home, the filly easing down for a 1¼ length victory over $1.60 favourite Land of the Brave.
“She’d had six starts for four thirds and that last start at Bendigo was a very strong VOBIS Gold race, so today was a little bit of a drop down in quality,” Symons said
“I think she can get over a little bit of ground … she’s not bred to, but she might.”
Luna Chara is by Skilled from Luskin Star mare Livid, a sprint winner at Eagle Farm, Doomben and Caulfield for Gerald Ryan in 1998 and 1999.
Symons almost made it a red-letter weekend with the well fancied debutant Chuckanev at Kilmore on Sunday.
Another home-bred, the Moshe gelding closed strongly for a stylish second.
Bendigo-based Symons is building a strong team of young horses and will pay to follow into 2021.
Wait makes it four
Not many horses can lay claim to having won four races for the calendar year, but the Neville Kennedy-trained Don’t Make Me Wait joined that club with victory in 0-58 company over 1980 metres at Tatura.
The past three of those wins have come under Jack Hill, who had the six-year-old box-seating from an outside alley in the $22,000 Mark Goring Memorial before drawing clear clear in the straight for a comfortable 2¼-length victory.
The Foreplay gelding started a $5 third favourite in the field of 11 despite having been unplaced at his first five runs of the campaign.
Kennedy’s galloper had a breakout run in March and April, winning three straight.
Don’t Make Me Wait went through three stables before making his debut for Bendigo-based Kennedy, who first held a trainer’s licence in 1952.
He’s had 35 starts for six wins, five minor placings and $89,675.
Stranger close
Shane Fliedner’s stable star Hi Stranger lost no admirers with his close second at Ballarat last Saturday.
A $3.60 favourite second up over 1200 metres after a fresh victory on Bendigo Cup day, Hi Stranger settled on the leaders’ backs before grinding home but narrowly missing Excess Funds.
Fliender is now pondering whether to keep Hi Stranger in Melbourne over summer or aim him at the Magic Millions carnival on the Gold Coast in January. The horse was a $50,000 Adelaide Magic Millions graduate in 2018.
Stocking up
Two Bendigo stables introduced new blood of varying kinds to their stables last week.
Matthew Enright was active at the NZ Bloodstock Ready to Run sale, acquiring a Rock ’n’ Pop gelding from Cambridge Stud for $NZ20,000 ($A19,000).
Meanwhile Kym Hann’s stable favourite All About Nicci, a winner of seven races, delivered her first foal — a colt by Capitalist.
Chair switch
The Bendigo Jockey Club has a new president after vice-chairman Jack Lyons was elected to the role at the club’s annual general meeting on Monday.
Lyons joined the committee in 2014.
Rod Caldow, who served in the role of chairman for the past two years, has stepped aside but will remain on the board.