The Morphettville crowd was treated to one of the most exciting finishes to an Adelaide feature race in quite a while when Klabel grabbed a head-bobbing win in the 1200-metre listed Christmas Handicap last Saturday.
Floated to Adelaide from Richard and Chantelle Jolly’s Flemington stable, Klabel ($9) was on the pace under Jake Toeroek before toughing it out to edge favourite Watchme Win.
It was Klabel’s seventh win from 31 starts but his first since August 2024.
Phil, Will on fire at HQ
Dual-state trainer Phillip Stokes stretched his lead on the Adelaide premiership to six with a treble on the Morphettville card. 
Sellicks Hill trainer Will Clarken also notched three winners at the Morphettville to move to 13 Adelaide winners for the season, equal third with Richard and Chantelle Jolly, behind Stokes (20) and Michael Hickmott (14).
Stokes won three straight races, kicking off with Skipjack ($2.70 favourite) in a one-metro-win-last-year affair over 1050 metres. First up from a spell, Skipjack came from midfield to give jockey Jacob Opperman the first leg of his double.
Regal Ripper ($4.40) also came from midfield to win the first division of the 1200-metre three-year-olds’ maiden for Stokes under Caitlin Jones.
I Am Invincible filly Yellowjacket ($1.80 favourite) completed Stokes’s treble in the other division, coming from the rear with a withering late run to give Kayla Crowther the middle leg of a treble of her own. Crowther picked up that ride from Opperman, who couldn’t make Yellowjacket’s weight.
Crowther had also come from last to win the opener, a benchmark 76 over 1800 metres, on the Clarken-trained Komachi ($5). 
Clarken’s second winner was Thunder Shoc ($4.20), who beat stablemate Clarence in a 1200-metre benchmark 64 under Todd Pannell. 
Crowther rode Clarence in that race, but she and Clarken were to complete their treble three races later with Mic Drop ($3.70), who came from midfield to win the 1050-metre benchmark 64.
Opperman completed his double on World’s My Oyster ($12), who railed through from midfield to win a 1200-metre Class 2 first up for Ballarat trainer Henry Dwyer.
The other jockey to double up last Saturday was Jones. She completed her pair on Maxxi Bon ($21), who got up in a thriller for Sellicks Hill trainer Chris Nash in the last, a 1600-metre 0-64.
A couple for Cunningham
Ballarat trainer Melody Cunningham took the points at Naracoorte last Sunday with a running double.
Connor Murtagh guided Justa Cowboy ($3.40 favourite) to victory in a 1200-metre maiden, then Kayla Crowther scored on Hell Of A Gent ($3.70) in a 1430-metre maiden.
Tracy breaks the ice
Congratulations to Strathalbyn trainer Tracy Cox on training her first winner, Alchian ($4.60 favourite), in a 2050-metre benchmark 58 at Strathalbyn’s Christmas Eve meeting.