Wangaratta trainer Craig Weeding launched a three-pronged cross-border attack on last Sunday’s $70,600 Narrandera Cup and was rewarded with a victory to in-form wet-tracker Yam.
Yam has only missed the quinella once in five starts this time in work, running seventh in a benchmark 88 at Rosehill on June 27.
Victory at Narrandera looked unlikely when Yam ($4.60) was held up rounding the turn, but claiming apprentice Cassidy Hill saved the day, taking a narrow gap on the rails through which her mount surged to a 1¾-length win.
Stablemates Make It Sweet ($7) and Indispensable ($9) also ran well, finishing fourth and fifth in the 12-horse field.
The win on a soft 7 took Yam’s record on rain-affected tracks to 17 starts for seven wins and six seconds.
Yam’s win completed a double for Weeding and Hill, with Big Day Out ($3.50) having taken a $40,000 Showcase benchmark 74 over 1000 metres earlier on the card.
Weeding’s other runner on a banner day for the stable was Black Frost, who ran second under Jake Duffy as a $13 pop in benchmark 66 grade over 2100 metres.
Dean on a roll
Kilmore trainer David Dean had another satisfying day out with his small team of gallopers at Donald last Saturday. 
Last-start winner Frostration ($5.50) got the job done again with a 1½-length win in the hands of apprentice Caitlin Hollowood in the Donald Motor Lodge 0-56 handicap over 1628 metres. 
Two races later, in the Donald Steel Metaland 0-56 handicap (1206m) Dean’s charges Miss Himalaya ($7.50) and Please Me Do ($7.50) ran second and third under Hollowood and fellow two-kilo claimer Olivia East respectively. 
Frostration and Miss Himalaya, who’d won at her previous start, are both by the late Darley shuttler Frosted, who was sadly lost to the industry this year. Craig Weeding’s Narrandera placegetter Black Frost is also by Frosted.
Beauty, Barry
Seymour trainer Barry Malanczyn is still celebrating after rising 10-year-old Second Nature gave him his first city win, scoring over 2125 metres at Sandown last Wednesday week in the Sportsbet Fast Form Handicap. 
Starting at odds of $71, the outsider of the field settled midfield before storming home along the rails under the urgings of apprentice Emily Pozman to score a narrow win over the Greg Eurell-trained Dragoon ($18). 
Purchased as an unraced two-year-old for just $1500, Second Nature has now returned $146,831 to his connections. 
Malanczyn gifted shares in the horse to family members as thanks to them for helping him to rebuild following the Black Saturday fires of 2009. 
Family members were on hand at Sandown to witness the nail-biting win, which Malanczyn likened to winning the Melbourne Cup.
“I did have a punt on him and I thought he’d go all right,” Malanczyn said. “He loves the wet and he’s been working really well.”