Five years ago Clint Lundholm was almost lost for words when a two-year-old Any Blinkin' Day won the annual Silver Goblet, pointing to a bright future ahead.
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Far forward to Friday's edition of the meeting and the Dubbo trainer may have missed out on another Goblet win, but Any Blinkin' Day showed he's still got what it takes when it comes to winning feature events.
The now seven-year-old took out the Dubbo Chamber Rhino Awards Cup Open Showcase Handicap (1600m), again leaving his trainer delighted.
"I've always had a soft spot for him. He's always been my favourite old horse," Lundholm said.
"He's won a Goblet and here he is five years later showing he can still win a feature."
With rain around the region in the days leading up to Friday's bumper showcase meeting, a few more eyes were drawn to Any Blinkin' Day in the market.
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A renowned soft track specialist, Any Blinkin' Day ($8) showed the quality again when overhauling Brett Thompson's highly-rated Sugar Dance ($3.40) and holding off the fast-finishing Lamma Hilton ($13).
It was a daring ride from Jake Pracey-Holmes, as he went like the clappers up front alongside Sugar Dance early on, with the front-runners moving more than eight lengths clear of the field at one point.
Things began to bunch more as the field entered the straight, but Pracey-Holmes got the job done, despite Brett Cavanough's Lamma Hilton flying home from last in the field late on.
"He's hot and cold and he does show you in his work when he's not on and you've got to keep playing around with him," Lundholm said of his gelding.
"He's been a bugger the last couple of weeks and he's taken a lot of controlling but he's going very well and the ride today was very daring but he pulled it off."
Lundholm said the rain leading up to Friday did play a big part in the finish after he finished sixth behind Sugar Dance last time out.
"He's just been thereabouts and he loves a wet track. He grows an extra leg and he just wanted that bit of a soft track and it was the difference today," Lundholm said.
He's always been my favourite old horse.
- Clint Lundholm on Any Blinkin' Day
"He got beat two and a half lengths last start and here he is against the same horses and he turned it around. That's the difference a wet track makes.
"We're super proud of him. I love him."
While Any Blinkin' Day is now closer to the end of his career than the start, but Lundholm still knows he's still got plenty of petrol in the tank.
He's won a number of features but there's one more the Dubbo trainer has his eye on.
"I'd love to win a Coonamble Cup so that's obviously the plan," he said, that event being run in October.
"That's still a few months away so I'll play around with him and have him in and out and place him around in shorter distances and back to the mile.
"He's seven-years-old so he doesn't like long spells, he just want short, sharp preparations.
"If he's sound, look out, we're coming for the Coonamble Cup."