The magic touch of Darren Weir was in evidence again at Morphettville last Saturday when the French-bred seven-year-old gelding Gailo Chop took out the listed UBET Penny Edition Stakes (1400m) on the  Parks track.  
Gailo Chop won the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes in the care of French trainer Antoine de Watrigant in the spring of 2015, but had been winless in only two subsequent appearances (at Chantilly and in Dubai in March 2016) before arriving at Weir’s Warrnambool stable to prepare for this spring.
The Penny Edition was Gailo Chop’s second start for Weir, following a last of 11 in the Group 2 Peter Lawrence at Caulfield.
That failure didn’t deter Weir’s followers, who backed the gelding late from $9.50 into $6 for the Morphettville race.
John Allen had Gailo Chop prominent throughout, his half-length win completing a double for jockey and trainer. 
 The Weir/Allen combination had earlier taken the first event on Morphettville’s Irish day, the benchmark 70 for three-year-olds over 1250 metres, with Canford Cliffs colt Cliff’s Edge, now the winner of two races from four starts.
Donagh dominates
The Australia-Ireland jumps series was a memorable one for young Irish cross-country jockey Donagh Meyler, who won all three races in the series.
Meyler’s first win in the series came on the aptly named Celtic Prince ($21) for Grant Young in the 2412-metre benchmark 64 highweight at Murray Bridge on August 30.
Meyler landed his second winner in the series when the Eric Musgrove-trained Pentomatic ($8.50) brought up his first win in 915 days in last Saturday’s Irish Steeple (3500m).
Riding for the Hayes/Hayes/Dabernig combination, Meyler made it a clean sweep for the visitors when he guided $2.20 favourite Dane Hussler from a rearward position to win the Irish Hurdle (3200m).
The Irish won the series 55 points to 35.
Clarken eyes cup for Steel
Trainer Will Clarken looks to have a nice type in his stable after the ex-NSW galloper Steel Frost opened his SA account in the benchmark 75 Schweppes Handicap (1250m) at the Parks meeting.
Steel Frost ($5) came from worse than midfield under Todd Pannell and now is likely to be set for the $100,000 listed Balaklava Cup (1600m) on September 13.
Kah wins on track and off
After taking a fortnight’s break from her riding duties, Jamie Kah returned to the saddle in sparking form when she joined forces with Cranbourne horseman Richard Laming to win the benchmark 70 Malcolm Morris Handicap (1400m) on $2.10 favourite Jamaican Rain.
Kah’s winning ways extended to Thoroughbred Racing SA’s annual awards function on Sunday, when she won the John Letts Medal, the Glennon-Johnson SA Jockey of the Year award and the UBET SA Provincial and Country Jockey of the Year award.
Emily Finnegan was honoured as the UBET SA Metropolitan Apprentice Jockey of the Year.
Other winners on the day were the training team of Leon Macdonald and Andrew Gluyas (SA Metropolitan Trainer of the Year), Darryl Horner junior (SA Jumps Jockey of the Year) and Hey Doc (SA Champion Racehorse of the Year).
Having ridden five winners at Randwick on Saturday, Kerrin McEvoy capped his weekend when he was inducted into the SA Racing Hall of Fame along with champion racehorse and sire Manihi.