Previously, Vella rode briefly on the Picnic circuit and booted home six outright winners, plus a dead heat for first on Naoko at the Bligh Picnics at Mudgee.

At the successful Carinda meeting, Vella gave Naoko ($7) a cosy run behind the leading pair before urging her mount through a gap to beat Rehanaat (Tiffany Jeffries, $3.50) by three-quarters-of-a-length with Jesse'N'James (Rasit Yetimova, $4) finishing third.

The now Dubbo-based apprentice Chris Williams attended school at Carinda when in years five and six and it was a happy return to the village after winning the Brigalow's Pastoral Class 1 Handicap (1400m) with Vanblos for Cooanble trainer Cec Hodgson.

Taking control in the straight, Vanblos ($3.60) won by almost three lengths from Palace Diva (Ken Dunbar, $10) and Enormously (Andrew Banks, $10).

Another former Carinda resident returning home for the day was Dubbo trainer Garry Lunn, who won the Local Liquor's Gateway Maiden Plate (1400m) with Storm Blast.

Raced by the trainer’s brother Wayne ‘Bronco’ Lunn, Storm Blast (Kody Nestor, $2.50 favourite) led throughout for a convincing win from the second place dead-heaters Sonneteer (Chelsea Ings, $15) and Costa Laquetta (Michael Hackett, $2.60).

Hawkesbury based apprentice Chelsea Ings continued her recent winning run when she brought the Brett Thompson-trained More Than Art ($2.50) from behind the leading pack to defeat Lattitude Lad (Eleanor Webster-Hawes, $6) and Raynes Park (Kody Nestor, $3.20) in the Wayne ‘Bronco’ Lunn Shearing Contractor Benchmark 45 Handicap (1100m).

A family double was recorded when Narromine trainer Kylie Kennedy had Radaktor (Jake Pracey-Holmes, $4.40) win the Loch Lomond Border Leicester Stud Maiden Handicap (1000m) while Worthy Rival (Pracey-Holmes, $5.50), trained by her father Wayne Collison, won the Alan Herbert Electrical Benchmark 50 Handicap (1700m).