Reigning premiership trainer Troy Kilgower threw down the gauntlet to current leader Don Dwyer at Buchan last Saturday, with four winners closing the gap to one at the top of the table.
Having banked a stack of minor placings over the past few weeks, Kilgower had a day out highlighted by the Buchan Cup (1900m) win of Eight Shout’s.
The six-year-old son of Holler lost his way slightly after winning at Yea’s first meeting of the season in October, beating just one home in his next three runs, but had bounced back with placings in the Yea and Woolamai cups before his Buchan success.
Eight Shout’s was well ridden by Ben Moffat, who jumped the gelding to the front before the field left the straight the first time then took a sit behind Foggy Bottom and Understated.
Approaching the turn Eight Shout’s took over and kicked away for a strong 2¾-length win over the game Foggy Bottom with Tussock running on for third.
Moffat was aboard all four of Kilgower’s, winners, the pair kicking off their quartet with the victory of stable newcomer Italian Informant, a dominant five-length winner over 1030m.
The Spill The Beans seven-year-old was bought for $1500 via Inglis Digital in December, having won two from 35 in NSW and SA.
Italian Informant won twice for Edward Cummings and once for Steve Theodore.
The in-form Sierra Sun, a maiden for 19 starts, made it a hat-trick at Buchan, taking his record to three wins from 22 starts. The son of Highland Reel has been strong winning over 2000m (twice) and 1900m.
Flower Gallery, the No Nay Never mare who has done all of her racing for Kilgower, completed the trainer’s four-timer when she notched her second win for the season, having broken her maiden at Woolamai in January.
Leigh swoops in the last
While Ben Moffat took riding honours at Buchan, Leigh Taylor also had a good day with a winner, two seconds and three thirds from his six rides.
The highlight was his victory in the last on the Peter Foster-trained mare Lika Mosh, who notched the 12th win of her career at start 54. 
Last season’s Mansfield Cup winner had been struggling since scoring at Mansfield in November, mixing picnic and TAB racing, but relished the good speed last Saturday and rattled down the outside to win with top weight of 71½kg.
The opening race on the card was won by the travelling Georgie Boucher and her maiden filly Culpable. 
The Cooma (NSW)-based Boucher often chimes in late in the Victorian picnic season and had three runners at Buchan including veteran stable star Gwennybegg, the 2023 Healesville and Swifts Creek Cup winner, who finished fourth to Lika Mosh.