A productive December continued for Morphettville trainer Travis Doudle last weekend with four metro winners across two days.
Doudle notched doubles at Morphettville on Friday and Gawler on Saturday to rise to equal fifth on the Adelaide trainers’ table with 10 winners, six behind leader Phillip Stokes.
The two-day four-timer saw Doudle join Garret Lynch at the top of the SA statewide table with 26 wins for 2025/26.
Doudle landed his first winner at Morphettville when Todd Pannell guided Been Our Angel ($3 favourite) to victory in a 1050-metre benchmark 58. Apprentice Caitlin Tootell later scored for him on Outpost ($8) in 0-62 company over 1200 metres.
Doudle’s Gawler winners were Violet Lovebug ($7.50) in an 1100-metre Class 1 and Flaming Navy ($3.60 favourite) in a 1700-metre benchmark 64.
On a day favouring on-pacers, both led all the way.
Ben Price and Tootell were the winning riders, with Tootell completing a double. Earlier she’d won on Grinzinger Bishop ($5.50) for Strathalbyn trainer Kym Healy in a benchmark 78 over 2100 metres. He too led all the way.
The previous Saturday had seen Doudle score a Victorian metro win courtesy of Swiftie Harriet on Ballarat Cup day.
Mick the punters’ pal
Wellington trainer Michael Hickmott shared the honours with Doudle at Gawler, kicking off his double when Smother ($3.50 favourite) came from midfield to win a 1500-metre maiden under Todd Pannell.
Smother was resuming from a spell and having his first start for Hickmott since transferring from the Pakenham stable of Ciaron Maher, where he’d had eight starts for a second.
Hickmott completed his double when Cielao ($2.15 favourite) led all the way under Jess Tzaferis in 0-64 grade over the same trip.
Alana all the way
Fellow apprentice Alana Livesey shared the riding honours with Caitlin Tootell at Gawler, leading throughout on both her winners.
She kicked off on the Cody Reardon-trained Three Rings ($6) in a no-metro-wins-last-year affair over 1200 metres.
Combining with her co-masters Gordon Richards and Damien Moyle, Livesey brought up her second winner when The Stalker ($11) took a benchmark 76 over the same trip.  
Vega delivers for Dyer
A 400-kilometre trip proved worthwhile for Kyneton trainer Neil Dyer when Vega Magnifico scored a tough win in a busy finish to last Sunday’s Bordertown Cup (2000m).
The Irish-bred import had won benchmark 78s at Randwick and Flemington in the care of Annabel and Rob Archibald but had been unplaced twice since transferring to Dyer’s stable in October. He was a drifter in betting at Bordertown ($6.50-$13) despite dropping to benchmark 74 grade.
A three-kilo claim for apprentice Jade Smith, reducing Vega Magnifico’s burden to 59.5kg, was crucial in getting the chestnut home narrowly in the track-record time of 2:02.83.
The win was Smith’s 10th from 63 rides, a healthy strike rate of 15.8 per cent.
Vega Magnifico may progress to next month’s Devonport Cup.