Wyong trainer Kristen Buchanan looks to have pulled the right rein with Annie’s Rose following the progressive mare’s win in last Saturday’s benchmark 72 Midway at Rosehill.
Buchanan passed up the chance to tackle a $150,000 Provincial-Midway Championships qualifier at her home track the same day.
While Saturday week’s final of that series is worth $1 million, Buchanan says there is a potential downside.
 “I had to make a big decision and I decided against running her in the Championships qualifier,” she said. 
“I was keen to run in it but in the past I’ve had some nice horses get very high benchmarks from contesting qualifiers and then not quite go on with it like I’d hoped, so I decided against it.”
Punters took Buchanan’s decision as a lead, backing Annie’s Rose in from $3.40 to $2.90 favourite at Rosehill.
Jockey Zac Lloyd opted to have the mare running a little closer to the lead than previously. 
“I made her be a bit closer than maybe she’s comfortable with, but I thought she was the best horse in the race so I didn’t want to set her too much of a task,” he explained. 
“At the 600, I thought she was nearing her top. She was struggling to pick up coming to the bend but once we straightened (she) was really strong and was doing her best work through the line. 
“She’s progressive and I think that win will give her a bit of confidence.”
Although she’s a five-year-old, Annie Rose was having only her 14th start, with her record now standing at four wins and a second. 
While she certainly looks to have more wins in store, another who looks close to a win is third-placed Audrey’s Lane, who didn’t have much luck in the straight. 
Like the winner, the Brad Widdup-trained Audrey’s Lane is a five-year-old mare. Her record now stands at four wins, three seconds and two thirds from just 13 starts. 
Ash on fire
The previous afternoon saw a thrilling finish to the $150,000 Muswellbrook Gold Cup (1500m), with the Richard and Will Freedman-trained Magnatear ($11) getting up by a long head from equal favourite Hellsing, with the other equal favourite, Green Fly, a half-length away in third. 
Scone trainer Cameron Crockett flew the flag for the Hunter in the main supporting race, the 1000-metre Skellatar Sprint.
His odds-on favourite, Durova, gave her backers some anxious moments before winning by a long head from Straand Beauty. 
Both Magnatear and Durova were ridden by Ashley Morgan, who finished the meeting with a treble. 
Earlier on the program, the $50,000 Super Maiden (1280m) was won by a local — Wayne Wilkes-trained four-year-old debutant Overzone ($15), ridden by Kody Nestor. 
Good Shaper
One of the more impressive winners at Wagga last Sunday was cross-border raider The Shaper.
Trained by Dan McCarthy at Wangaratta, The Shaper appreciated a drop in class from a $200,000 race at Caulfield to a country benchmark 82. He landed some good bets ($5.50-$4) under Jason Lyon, coasting home by three lengths.
Robyn Freeman fared best of the jockeys at Wagga with a winning double. 
At Armidale the same afternoon, Mikayla Weir took riding honours with a double of her own.
An Easter feast
As you’d expect, there’s plenty of action across the Easter weekend, and while NSW is still a no-go zone for Good Friday racing, they’re on as usual at Canberra, where the main race will be the 1600-metre Tuggeranong Cup.
On Saturday, up in the opal country near the Queensland border, it’s the Lightning Ridge Race Club’s annual meeting, with the cup over 1200 metres.
It’s also cup day in the southern Riverina at Tocumwal, where the Gold Cup is over 1300 metres.
On Sunday the real racing action, I’ve been told, will be way out west at Bourke, with the running of the Back O’Bourke picnic races. There, the feature race will be the 1600-metre Harry Hart Memorial Picnic Cup.