Newcastle trainer Kris Lees might have the horse to break his Group 1 drought in Shamus Award mare Enchanted Heart, winner of last Saturday’s listed Takeover Target (1200m) at Gosford.
After settling just off the pace under Jason Collett, the four-year-old stormed home over the last 150 metres to score by half a length from Snitz, with Easy Eddie in third place.
“The track conditions (a soft 7) suited, there was a solid tempo, she got a lovely cart into the race and it was a lovely ride by Jason (Collett),” Lees said of the $2.80 favourite.
“She’s a nice mare going into the winter and we’ll look for the right race on suitable ground for her. I’m not ruling out setting her for next month’s (Group 1) Tatts Tiara.”
The $600,000 Tatts Tiara (1400 metres) will be run at Eagle Farm on June 26.
Lees has won 15 Group 1 races but none since In Her Time took the Black Caviar Lightning in February 2019.
Dance all the way
In the Class 3 TAB Highway Handicap over 1200 metres at the Gosford meet, the well supported Last Chance Dance started brilliantly from her wide barrier, enabling jockey Robbie Dolan to cross and lead unchallenged.
After kicking away rounding the home turn, the Unencumbered mare had just enough left at the finish to defeat the strong-finishing Katgully Red by a half length with the swooping Mr Wong, who’d come from last, just a half-neck away in third.
The winner, trained at Scone by Scott Singleton, was as long as $13 after acceptances last Wednesday but was backed into $6.50 by jump time.
Dunn eyes Atkins
Another country stable had a good result last Saturday at the Gold Coast when Murwillumbah colt Subterranean ($10) finished strongly under hard riding from Nash Rawiller to claim the $150,000 Ken Russell Memorial (1200m) in the last stride.
In a thrilling finish, the winner scored by a nose from the favourite, Ranch Hand, with a neck to third-placed Rhapsody Rose.
Subterranean, a two-year-old from the first crop of former Gary Portelli-trained sprinter Rebel Dane, will now head to the Group 2, Queensland Sires’ Produce (1400m) at Eagle Farm on May 29, then the Group 1 JJ. Atkins.
“I’ve never gone close to winning a Group 1 but I really think that this horse could give me a great chance,” said trainer Matt Dunn.
Raiders rule at Wagga
City stables dominated the features at last week’s Wagga Cup carnival and punters were generally on the money.
Day one saw $2.90 favourite Marway, trained by Mark Newnham and ridden by apprentice Tom Sherry, annihilate his  opposition in winning the Wagga Town Plate (1200m) by four lengths easing down from Handle the Truth and Jailbreak.
Sherry had no hesitation in going straight to the front and never looked in danger of defeat.
In an exciting finish to the previous race, a 2000-metre edition of the Wagga Stayers Series the Matthew Smith-trained Aperol Sprint ($3.80), with Kathy O’Hara in the saddle, charged through a gap in the final 100 metres to beat Lamour by a head with the favourite, Himiko, just a long neck away third.
Friday’s highlight was the $200,000 Wagga Gold Cup (2000m), which produced another thrilling finish as the Trent Busuttin/Natalie Young-trained Inverloch ($31) caused a boilover in scoring a long-neck win over the favourite, Yonkers, who dead-heated for second with Spirit Ridge.
The winner was ridden by Mathew Cahill.
In the $80,000 MTC Guineas, well supported $2.30 favourite Maranoa, trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and ridden by apprentice Jean Van Overmeire, scored a comfortable win over Go Troppo with Arctic Thunder third.
Earlier in the day, odds-on favourite Spendiferous was untroubled in taking out the $75,000 Queen of the South (1400m) for the Waterhouse/Bott partnership and classy Sydney jockey Nash Rawiller.
By contrast the $50,000 Country Magic (1200m) proved a wipeout for most punters with the Greg Colvin-trained Kurocaine ($10) beating Sizzleonthebridge ($20) with Golwen ($41) third. The winner was ridden by Jay Ford.
Around the traps
Clayton Gallagher and Chelsea Ings dominated last Saturday’s Cobar Cup meeting, riding a treble and a double respectively on the five-race card. Ings took the 1700-metre cup on Naoko, trained at Dubbo by Connie Greig.
At Quambone the 1400-metre Marthaguy Picnic Cup went to veteran gelding Zoutenant at his 104th start, ridden by Rick Blewitt and trained by Dar Lunn.
Maddison Wright finished fourth in the cup on even-money favourite Nevada Sunrise but it was her only blemish for the day — Wright rode the other four winners.
The following day at Mudgee, the feature Gooree Cup (1400m) saw the Brett Robb-trained A Magic Zariz ($10) defeat the favourite, Amy’s Shadow, by a half-length, with Mackellar’s Love third. Apprentice Casey Waddell was the winning rider.
Waugh, Lisnyy to fight
Wyong trainer Kim Waugh and jockey Serg Lisnyy will fight charges laid last week by Racing NSW stewards over the alleged use of unapproved spurs on maiden galloper Tarsus.
“I don’t think the charges are right,” he told media. “They were normal spurs and similar to ones used by kids at pony club.”
Waugh, who is not believed to have been present at the gallop concerned, faces two charges relating to the use of spurs and one of misconduct relating to the dismissal of the employee who reported the incident.
The hearing is set down for next Thursday.
On the same day news of the Waugh/Lisny charges appeared in the press, two thoroughbreds were electrocuted at the Newcastle racecourse.
Both horses, trained by Paul Perry, were being returned to their stables following trackwork.
It is thought that rodents had chewed through electrical cables in the stable.  
Safework NSW is investigating the deaths while the AWU has also been advised of the incident.
Whopper weekend
In what promises to be a great day’s racing at Scone today (Friday), three races will carry $200,000 in prizemoney apiece.
They are the Darley Scone Cup (1600m), the Dark Jewel (1400m) for fillies and mares and the Inglis 2YO Challenge (1100m). In addition, the Arrowfield Country Cup (1400m)will carry $90,000 in prizemoney.
Saturday sees the running of Brewarrina Cup (1200m) while Sunday’s highlights are the Parkes Cup (1600m) and the Defence Force Cup (1400m) at Queanbeyan.