Last season’s Picnic Horse of the Year, the David Noonan-trained Shahin, bounced back to his best to take out the 2025 Woolamai Cup in front of a big crowd last Saturday.
The five-year-old son of Shalaa had been battling for form in 2025, having started the season in the sort of form that earned him title in 2023/24.
The gelding won six races last season to take out the Horse of the Year and kicked off this season with a win at Balnarring and two placings at Healesville, but had been unplaced from four starts in the new year including two last placings.
Perhaps the key was the touch of jockey Leigh Taylor, who hopped aboard for the first time and got the job done on the $11 pop from the outside barrier (10).
Shahin’s regular rider, Sophie Clayfield, stuck with her Balnarring Cup winner Hawkestone, and the 11-year-old didn’t let her down, finishing a game third with 70kg, 4½kg more than the winner.
The feature was one leg of a winning treble for Taylor, taking his tally to 16 wins for the season.
Taylor’s other two winners were for Peter Foster, who leaped into second spot on the trainers’ premiership with his ninth and 10th winners.
The pair teamed up with improving Fiorente mare Nasrin ($8), who notched her second win for the season, backing up her three-length maiden win on Australia Day at Balnarring with another 3¼-length romp.
And they won the last with the tough stayer Mr Zigmund ($5), who looks to be regaining form at the right time of year.
The nine-year-old son of Zoffany won last year’s Golden Thong (2350m) at Healesville and the Easter Plate (2808m) at Balnarring in the month of March. He will likely be aimed at the same races. 
Cup-winning trainer David Noonan filled the placings behind Mr Zigmund with Da Deputy and Whiskey Jack.
Devastating debut
Promising young trainer Reece Goodwin went close to winning the Woolamai Cup with his recent acquisiton Shez Steamin’ finishing runner-up, but he and father Barry enjoyed success earlier on the card.
The win of the day was clearly that of Triumphantly ($2.80 favourite) in the 1008-metre open trophy, having her first start for Barry Goodwin.
Reece bought the six-year-old son of Starspangledbanner online at bloodstockauction.com last year for $1650. He had his first start for the new connections on Saturday.
It was a devastating debut as he won in track-record time by 10 lengths with Maddison Morris doing the riding.
Triumphantly, trained at the time by Saab Hasan, had denied Reece Goodwin a victory with his mare Diamatti at Seymour back in November 2023.
Official records suggested that Triumphantly broke Woolamai’s 1008-metre record by more than a second, the previous record listed as being held by Frankincense, who ran 1:00.03 in 2017.
But, going through the 117 races over the track and trip since, it seems the record was actually broken in 2023 by Rivers Reward, who clocked 59.97.
Giving that sprinter her due as the first to break the minute for the route, it was still a fine effort by Triumphantly to go almost 4½ lengths faster running 59.26.
Action this week heads to Buchan in Victoria’s east for its very popular Saturday cup meeting.