Balnarring Racing Club life member and former committeeman Mick Binney again has his sights on the Balnarring Cup on January 26 with his talented mare Diamanda after her win at the club’s meeting last Saturday.
The hobby trainer has done a wonderful job with the nine-year-old daughter of Golden Snake, who has mixed professional and picnic racing while amassing almost $150,000 in prizemoney with her seven wins from 64 starts.
Diamanda placed at The Valley in February and has chased home talented horses Surfin’ Bird and Mr Verse in 2025.
A mix-up with qualifiying conditions saw the mare well down in the ballot and ultimately missing a start in last year’s Balnarring Cup, having won at the same December meeting. (Diamanda’s two picnic starts for the season put her one short of the top balloting criterion.)
A likely Cup topweight, Diamanda has several options to qualify for the race and after getting the job done last Saturday rider Jacquie Joiner could be along for the journey.
Joiner’s 3kg claim saw Diamanda carry 69½kg and the pair comfortably accounted for another classy picnic performer in Little Richie Turf, with Where Ya Bean in third.
Ribeiro a ripper raider
Leading NSW picnic rider Leandro Ribeiro made the most of his first rides in Victoria, steering home a double at Balnarring.
Ribeiro had three rides for Don Dwyer, whose regular rider Shaun Cooper was suspended, and got Desert Boots home for the leading trainer in race three.
He also piloted the Cameron Templeton-trained Kaimana Gal to a maiden win, with the double taking Ribeiro’s career tally to 195 winners at a strike rate of 32 per cent.
He shared riding honours with Joiner, who after winning aboard Diamanda took the final race on partner David Noonan’s prolific picnic winner Shahin.
Rubick’s girl rules
The 1200-metre open trophy race at Balnarring saw Barry Goodwin-trained Qubella made it two wins from as many starts this season, proving too strong for reigning Horse of the Year Annoy’en One.
The Rubick mare now has five wins from 28 starts, having kicked off her campaign with victory at Yea three weeks earlier.
Maddi Morris was again aboard, bringing up her third win for the season.
Both placegetters were trained by Brooke Verwey-Mitchell and each finished within a length of the winner, Midivani rounding out the trifecta.
Earlier the well bred El Roca mare Silver Springs broke her maiden at start six, her second run for Troy Kilgower.
The mare is a half-sister to New Zealand listed placegetter Dreamtesta, her granddam being the Brisbane Cup winner Portland Singa. A distant relative is 2025 NZ Derby winner Willydoit.