DUBBO trainer Garry Lunn welcomed in his 10th winner of the 2015-16 season when All For Kicks scored a dominant win in the The Joss Group Benchmark 52 Handicap (1700m) at Wellington on Saturday.
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With leading rider Greg Ryan in the saddle, All For Kicks was given the perfect run throughout in fifth spot, parked behind early leader Margarlie while rivals pushed forward and were caught wide.
Despite being baulked for a run as he attempted to get off the fence inside the final 400 metres, Ryan was able to be patient and wait for a gap to appear in the straight and when it did the Dane Shadow x Volcanic Scene mare was able to sprint through it and record her second win from her past three outings.
It was almost painless for the punters that supported All For Kicks ($4.40) as she raced away to beat the Dar Lunn-trained Chocolate Bolt ($26.00, Leanne Henry) by two-and-three-quarter lengths, with Just As Dapper ($41.00, Glenn Lynch) finishing hard out wide to deny a Lunn trifecta, with the winner's stablemate Basic Model ($7.00, Jacob Gilchrist) close up in fourth spot.
Garry Lunn has now trained 10 winners and 22 placegetters from 79 runners so far this season and is inside the top dozen on the country trainers premiership behind current leader Brett Thompson (28 winners).
Meanwhile, Dubbo's Orbell family had reason to celebrate when Canberra trainer Matthew Dale claimed his third Highway Handicap in four weeks with Royal Jackpot at Rosehill.
The five-year-old gelding, who firmed from $9.50 to $7.50, is part-owned by local bookie Ken Orbell, his wife Sue and their son Guy, and settled midfield for most of the 1500-metre race until the home straight where Brenton Avdulla steered him through a gap.
Royal Jackpot won by a long neck to join Shadow Affair and Bitburg as winners of the weekly race for country-trained horses.
Dale said Royal Jackpot was a good horse but it had been a long time between wins.
"He's been a bit of a frustrating horse," Dale said.
"We thought he was a Country Championships horse last year. He lost his way a little bit, lost his confidence."
Avdulla had several opportunities during the race to take a gap, but waited patiently for the right one.
"I ended up getting to the back of Tommy Huet who I knew would take me somewhere," he said.
"I just had to be patient and wait for the gaps to come."
Huet's mount Grand Proposal was a long-neck second with the Danny Williams-trained Ashjata ($4.60) another nose third.
