Jockey Dylan Gibbons seems to hold the key to Newcastle mare Super Bright, who caused a $31 boilover when she won the 1200-metre benchmark 78 for fillies and mares at Rosehill last Saturday. 
The Nathan Doyle-trained mare, who obviously relished the heavy 9 conditions, took her record with Gibbons aboard to 13 starts for five wins, two seconds and a third.
Super Bright’s record under all other jockeys is 30: 2-4-2.
“It’s weird,” Gibbons said. “I’ve never ridden a horse like it where she can be so out of form and then I find her back and she runs a good race. 
“I don’t know what it is, but something about us seems to click and there’s another one on the board for us. 
“The funny thing with her is she can be a different horse at times. I first won on her over 900 metres. Fast forward a couple of years and she’s running over 1400 metres and trying to find form. 
“I just gave her a good squeeze to switch her on and that’s her best asset. Once she was in striking range and had a chance to fight for the win, she was the one you wanted to be on going to the line.”
Mae’s got her plot back
Another redemption story at the Rosehill meeting was three-year-old filly All The Way Mae, who took the benchmark 72 Midway Handicap over 1100 metres for Kembla Grange trainer Kerry Parker. 
It was the filly’s third win from seven starts, her second in a row and her second on a heavy track. 
“Last prep she lost the plot,” Parker recalled. “She came back thinking she knew what it was all about and was doing everything upside down and wouldn’t listen to us. 
“I put her out again and gave her a really good spell and she’s come back a bit more mature. 
“She’s still got a fair bit of physical maturing to do but her brain has matured. She’s starting to put things together. 
“She’s a very quick little horse and one I’ve always had a really good opinion of. She’s a horse who will continue to get better as she gets older. 
“She’s still weak and only little but today was the perfect race for her with just 52 kilos on her back and a heavy track.”
Jockey Andrew Adkins agreed that All The Way Mae had come a good distance.
“She’s a maturing filly that is really starting to come to hand now. 
“She’s starting to do all the right things,” he said. 
“Confidence is a big thing for a horse like her and that’s two in a row now in what was quite a decent field, so hopefully she’ll continue to go the right way.”
Sweeper swoops
Murwillumbah trainer Matthew Dunn recorded his 46th win in the TAB Highway series when well backed $2.25 favourite Moon Sweeper took out last Saturday’s edition at Rosehill, a 1500-metre Class 3. 
Despite a slow start, Moon Sweeper proved far too strong for his rivals, revelling in the conditions to race away to a three-length win. 
“He was a little bit shuffly in the barriers and made a bit of a meal of the start but I was never concerned because I wasn’t planning on being too close to the speed anyway,” said jockey Sam Clipperton. 
“Once the cards were dealt, I let him build throughout the race. We were able to pinch a few runs and he was relishing the conditions. We were able to stay to the inside. 
“In the straight, I didn’t want to hit the front too soon so I kept him behind Tyler Schiller (on Shezain) until he was serving me no more, then pressed the button and away he went.”
Wet wreaks havoc
On Kembla’s Illawarra Grange track the same afternoon the local combo of Mitchell Beer and George Carpenter fared best of the trainers, leading in a winning double, while jockeys Jean Van Overmeire and Keagan Latham rode two winners apiece. 
Rosehill and Illawarra Grange were the only NSW meetings to go ahead across a three-day period, with Gosford Thursday, Goulburn and Casino Friday, Quirindi and Bowraville Saturday all washed out.
Murwillumbah Sunday was another victim of the big wet but Scone (transferred from Muswellbrook) went ahead.
There the feature Aberdeen Cup (1300m) saw $2 favourite Hulu get the bob in right on the line to win by a nose from Hellcibell, with a 3½-length gap third. The winner is trained at the track by Cameron Crockett and was ridden by Aaron Bullock. 
Earlier, the $40,000 Super Maiden over the same trip went to three-year-old filly Antilopini ($11), trained at Newcastle by Kris Lees and ridden by apprentice Shannen Llewellyn.
Coming attractions
This Friday, weather permitting, we’re racing at Dubbo and Taree. 
Dubbo hosts a Showcase meeting featuring the 1100-metre Silver Goblet for two-year-olds and a $50,000 Super Maiden over 1300 metres. 
Taree features the $32,000 Wingham Cup (1600m) and the $27,000 Corey Brown Cup, a benchmark 82 over 1250 metres. 
On Saturday the picnic circuit swings to the state’s north for the Mallawa meeting, west of Moree. The Mallawa Picnic Cup (1400m) and the Mallawa Bracelet (1000m) are the features. 
Sunday’s non-TAB action heads to Gulgong, an old gold-rush town in the Central Tablelands, with the cup over 1200 metres.