Paul Messara praised an “amazing effort” by Chains Of Love after the four-year-old mare delivered his Scone stable its second successive win in the $2 million Kosciuszko at Randwick last Saturday.
Messara, who trains in partnership with Leah Gavranich, won last year’s Everest with Clear Thinking. They are the first stable to win the race more than once.
 Chains Of Love ($5) showed plenty of courage to overcome a wide run and charge home to beat the Matthew Dunn-trained Band Of Brothers by a long neck. 
“It was a great win,” Messara said. “We were five deep from the start and I thought we had no hope. 
“It was an amazing effort by our horse. We set her up for this race a long time ago and it’s nice when a plan comes off. 
“We’ve been patient with her. She’s lightly raced with a lot of upside. 
“We thought if we could get her here for this race, she could run well. It’s amazing with the run she had that she was able to win.”
Jockey Zac Lloyd was dull of praise for the co-trainers.
“To get this horse here first up and with a tough run, to be as gritty as she was the last 50 metres, all credit to them,” he said.
“I didn’t do much. Obviously you don’t want to be four and five wide. They weren’t going quick. 
“She is very big and I’d much rather be there than in on the fence. 
“I was just focusing on her — a bit like a trackwork gallop, just trying to keep her in a rhythm.” 
Knockout prevails
Chains Of Love’s win brought up a double for Lloyd, who’d won the opening race on the program, the Big Dance Wild Card (1600m), aboard It’s A Knockout ($3.60) for Newcastle trainer and former jockey Jason Deamer. 
The winner, a six-year-old mare, finished the race off strongly to win by 2¼ lengths from the favourite, Matias. 
“He’s just so relaxed,” Deamer said of Lloyd. “Nothing seems to faze him and there’s no doubt that’s one of his real strengths as a rider right now. 
“He’s making the right choices more often than he doesn’t.”
For his part, Lloyd said the race went according to plan.
 “She had a lovely run. I wanted to get there sooner rather than later because she’s quite deep into her preparation, is fit and can sustain a good gallop. 
“Very happy to get the win for Jason and Dynamic Syndications as well.”
Lloyd went on to complete a treble, winning the last on Cross Tasman for local trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton.
The Wild Card win completed a good couple of days for Deamer, who’d taken a $50,000 Super Maiden at Taree the previous day with $2.15 favourite Rupertano, ridden by apprentice Shannen Llewellyn.
Collett runs hot
That Taree meeting saw Alysha Collett notch a cups double, taking the $35,000 Krambach Cup (1300m) on Zoucratic ($4.20) for Muswellbrook’s Todd Howlett and the $100,000 Taree Gold Cup (1600m), a Big Dance eligibility race, on $3.60 favourite I’ve Bean Tryin’ for Canberra trainer Matthew Kelley.
That also completed a double for Kelley, who’d won a $40,000 maiden earlier in the card with $2.20 favourite Seaton Moon, ridden by apprentice Coriah Keatings.
The day’s other feature, the Lightning Sprint (1000m), went to local speedster Grassburn ($3.40), trained by Matt Robinson and ridden by apprentice Mollie Fitzgerald. 
The same afternoon at Bathurst, Mikayla Weir took riding honours with a treble.
Collett kept up the good work at Nowra on Sunday, winning three races including the feature Mollymook Cup (1200m) on $1.85 favourite Alabama Showdown for Warwick Farm trainer Joe Pride.
At Lismore the same day, up-and-coming apprentice Archie McColm took the riding honours with a winning double.
Coming up
This Saturday is cup day at Balranald in the state’s south west, featuring the 1400-metre Balranald Cup and the 1000-metre Spring Cup. 
The same day sees the Harden Picnic Race Club hold its very popular annual meeting in the South West Slopes region, with the cup to be run over 1400 metres.
Sunday is cup day at Coonabarabran, with the big race over 1600 metres, supported by the Showcase Sprint (1100m) and a $50,000 Super Maiden (1200m).