Canberra trainer Keith Dryden was proved a good judge last Saturday as he saddled the quinella in the Class 3 TAB Highway Handicap (1400m) at Kembla Grange with Everido and Sunchyme.
“One of the owners asked me which is the best and I said, ‘There’s nothing between them, they could run one-two,’” Dryden said after Everido ($6.50) got up in the last stride to score by a short half-head over Sunchyme ($7.50).
Both were originally emergencies for the race but had already gained a start by the time Winning Post went to press on the Thursday, with the scratching of the Donna Scott-trained Villasaurus and the third Dryden acceptor, Mighty Myrtle, who’d drawn the outside.
“Tommy (Berry) said Sunchyme was unlucky,” Dryden added. “He said we just got left in front too early but it was her first crack at 1400 metres.”
Regan Bayliss was the winning rider.
Just too good
The following race, the benchmark 72 Midway Handicap over the same trip, saw local mare Justela ($20) set a track record in scoring a dominant win.
With a solid pace up front, winning jockey Jay Ford was content to bide his time before charging home late to win drawing away by a length and three-quarters from Miss Hades, who finished the race off well without threatening the winner. Direct Fire, who had led, held on for third.  
“This was a target race for Justela,” said trainer Kerry Parker. “We wanted to try to win a race on her home track on the big day, so that’s super.
“I think there were 11 of us (Kembla Grange-trained horses) in the field so it’s good the race has gone to the locals.
“She’s broken the track record and looked to do that quite comfortably. I thought going into the race she’d made the necessary improvement from her first-up run to be competitive in this grade.’
Ford said the strong pace had set the race up for Justela.
“She drew a little wide today, so we chanced our arm a bit,” he said. “She enjoyed the nice tempo, which enabled us to park in a nice position.
“I loved the way from the 400 metres to the 200 metres she put the race to the sword.”
Gear changes spark Kate
Two races later, local trainers were back in the winner’s stall after the Robert and Luke Price-trained mare Monte Kate overraced early but still found enough to win the 1200-metre benchmark 78 for fillies and mares.
With Blaike McDougall aboard, Monte Kate ($18) scored by a length and three-quarters from the fast-finishing Left Field with $3.90 favourite Wooloowin a head away third.  
“A couple of local winners to start the day, it’s nice to win in front of this big crowd,” Robert Price said.
“She’s a lovely filly when she shows up but she does have some breathing issues. Hence we took the blinkers off  and put a crossover noseband on so I think we’ve solved a few things with her today.
“We spent a bit of coin on her as a yearling ($400,000), so hopefully this win is a turning point for her and she can go right on with it from here.”
Monte Kate has now had 15 starts for three wins, six minor placings and $205,300.
Around the traps
Keith Dryden wasn’t the only Canberra trainer in the money last Saturday, Gratz Vella taking the Adaminaby Cup (1400m) with Last Quest ($6), ridden by apprentice Teaghan Martin.
Further west the same afternoon, the 1400-metre Hay Cup  saw even-money favourite Decker, trained at Jerilderie by Ross Purcell, win by a length and a quarter from King And King.
The winner was ridden by apprentice Sarah McDonough, who took riding honours for the afternoon with a winning treble. Senior jockey Justin W. Stanley rode the other two winners.
At the Inverell meeting, Tamworth trainer Wayne Brown and jockey Michael Heagney combined to win three races including the 1800-metre Diggers Cup with Everlasting Kiss ($2.90 favourite).
The final and main race on the card, the 1400-metre Bush Battler’s Cup, was won by 40/1 outsider True Patriot, trained at Toowoomba by Josh Oliver and ridden by Mikayla Weir.
Mare goes bang at Bong
Last Friday, the meeting scheduled for Grafton then moved to Coffs Harbour had to be abandoned due to heavy rainfall but the famous Bong Bong picnic meeting in the Southern Highlands went ahead, as did the TAB card at Orange.
The feature Bong Bong Picnic Cup (1500m) went to Arancione ($5.50), a Eurozone mare trained at Moruya by Mark Gee and ridden by Wayne Wheatley.
The win brought up a treble for Wheatley on the six-race program.
On Sunday at Narromine apprentice Shannen Llewellyn rode a winning treble while at Canberra the same afternoon, Louise Day rode a double.
Fab Friday
This Friday’s Showcase action is at Queanbeyan, featuring the $65,000 Queanbeyan Regional Cup (1600m), the $45,000 Thunderbolt (1000m) and a $50,000 Super Maiden (1000m).
At Muswellbrook the main race will be the 1000-metre Rusty Spanner Sprint.