DUBBO trainer Peter Nestor described Wellington winner Speedreader as "a tough honest mare" after she won the Magic Millions Class 2 Plate over 1400 metres on Sunday.
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Two-kilogram claiming apprentice Samantha Clenton was third last at the turn but came with a withering run down the outside of the track to shut out Mabrouk by a head with Iwilldoit a half head away third.
Greg Ryan's mount Hammoon Lady, the $3.20 favourite was 3.2 lengths ninth in a competitive race.
The winner is owned by Gold Coast residents Phil and Janette Burton, valued clients of the Nestor stable.
The Muswellbrook jockey did everything Nestor asked of her.
"Samantha is a very good rider, she listens to instructions and doesn't panic. That was shown here today," Nestor said.
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THERE was no more popular jockey at the Boot on Sunday than Winona Costin, the pilot of winner I Am Snippety in the main race.
She hugged and kissed the filly and after the last race returned to the saddling enclosure to receive her trophy, in front of a big crowd of punters who stayed around.
She is one young lady going places in racing and is certain to attract punters for her horses in the future.
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WELLINGTON Race Club officials were delighted with the success of their two-day Boot Carnival.
They dodged the rain around the district on both days and Sunday's crowd was described as one of the best.
Committee members Ian Darney and Andrew Ferguson said having leading trainer Gai Waterhouse with a Boot runner (Vonetta) was a huge draw card and of the course the $100,000 Boot prizemoney was the attraction needed to entice some of the best trainers to support the race.
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THE Waterhouse-trained Vonetta didn't get the money in the Boot but Dubbo businessman and racing enthusiast Bob Hogno still got the opportunity to present the trophy to connections of the winner, I Am Snippety.
Hogno owns State Wide Sheds, major sponsor of the race.
Vonetta had a legion of local area followers. The filly was bred by Andrew Ferguson at his Bell River Stud at Wellington and is raced by a syndicate that includes his wife Georgia and Bob Hogno's wife Marlene and daughter Julieanne.
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SUCCESS breeds (and drinks) success.
Mudgee mayor Des Kennedy and his wife Carol had a big day at Wellington on Sunday with two winners - Vortuka in the Class 1 handicap, and Are You Sure in the Wellington Cup.
The big Wellington group was hosted at the Wild Oats hospitality tent, better known for its Sydney To Hobart yacht racing domination - and of course, its award-winning Mudgee wines.
The other aspect of their success was having Mudgee Catholic Parish priest Garry McKeown in the support team.
Father Garry was last seen walking through the car park with all the trophies from the day - who best to trust with the goodies.
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DES Kennedy's run of back-to-back winners at Wellington was just reward for his support over many years to the local race club.
He was formerly the Wellington Soldiers Club manager before building up a high profile in the hotel industry at Mudgee and Newcastle.
It was at Mudgee where Kennedy struck up a relationship with former local trainer Jeff Brasch who saddled up $4.60 favourite Vortuka.
In recent times Brasch has trained at Grafton before setting up base in the past month at Orange.
With Greg Ryan in the saddle, the three-year-old filly Vortuka claimed her second win from four starts and appears to have a bright future.
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MCDONALD'S restaurants at Wellington and Dubbo continued their great sponsorship of the Boot carnival with Garry Barraclough happy to present the winning cheque to connections of Reigns Above, an all the way winner of the McDash.
Trained at Hawkesbury by Connie Greig and ridden by apprentice jockey Mitchell Korn, the gelding gave nothing else a chance in the run to the finish post.
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KODY Nestor earned his money the easy way with a great win on Zerzura ($2.30 fav) in the opening race on Sunday.
Trained at Canberra by Barbara Joseph and Paul Jones, the mare shot out of the gates, was given a breather and gave up the lead, to park in behind the pace, before exploding in the straight to win convincingly.
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IT was a numbers game early in the Wellington program on Sunday.
Horses wearing the 11 saddle cloth won the first three races, and then it was seven number in races four and five.
Then the sequence was broken with 1,10,3 successful.
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WHEN Kylie Kennedy's horses win, there is always plenty of excitement around the winner's stall.
Millenium Hawk ($9.00) gave Narromine based Kennedy and her stable followers reason to be happy after the seven-year-old gelding won the Federal Hotel Benchmark 55 Handicap (1700m).
Experienced jockey Anthony Cavallo gave a great tactical display on the winner who was given barrier 14 at acceptances.
Cavallo allowed his horse to settle on the fence and despite having a wall of horses in front of him at the 400 metres, waited until there was a gap in the field on the run into the straight.
In yet another great finish, Millenium Hawk prevailed by a head from $4.60 favourite Venturoso and Rexton, a half head back in third place.