A busy weekend of racing saw central Victorian trainers enjoy multiple winners on both sides of the border, from Yarra Valley east of Melbourne to Albury and Balranald in NSW. 
Seymour trainer Christopher Davis scored a double at Yarra Valley with Surely Special and Balgowan. 
Stepping out as the $2.30 favourite in the 0-56 handicap over 1968 metres, nine-year-old Lucas Cranach gelding Surely Special kept up his strong run of form, following a win at Echuca in late September, a jumpout win at Seymour then a win at Wodonga on October 17. Age certainly doesn’t seem to be catching up with Surely Special. 
The 0-56 event over 1209 metres saw the Davis-trained Balgowan ($5.50) win by an easy 2¾ lengths, carrying the luxury weight of 53kg thanks to the 1.5kg claim of apprentice Sam Kennedy.
Across the border at Albury, Wangaratta’s Libby Haworth saddled four-year-old Toronado mare Carlow Rose ($4.40) to win the 900-metre maiden at her fifth start, following third placings at her previous two. In the hands of regular rider Brittany Button, the mare jumped to an early lead and proved unstoppable. 
The maiden 1175-metre race saw Haworth’s fellow Wangaratta trainer Craig Weeding successful with his first-starter Tungamah Tess, a three-year-old filly by Cosmic Force. 
Punters had clearly taken notice of the filly’s three-length trial win on October 7 and sent her out the $1.65 favourite. 
Kilmore trainer Alicia MacPherson had Frosted In Time ($4.20) perfectly placed in a Class 3 over 1175 metres, the Frosted gelding successful in the hands of regular rider Cory Parish. 
From 13 starts, the gelding has finished out of the first four only once, with three wins, four seconds, two thirds and three fourths. 
MacPherson purchased Frosted in Time at the 2023 Inglis Premier yearling sale for just $5000. He has won $80,800.
Further north at Balranald, Wangaratta’s Andrew Dale kept up his assault on NSW country cups, winning the Balranald Cup with Copperfield (ridden by Cassidy Hill) and the Hay Spring Cup with Magna Mak (Hannah Edgley). 
Dale is a force to be reckoned with when his charges take on the cup meetings in NSW and he has five such features already this spring, adding last Saturday’s successes to cups he won at Griffith, Jerilderie and Deniliquin with Eamonn’s Memory.