Happiest continued the long line of winners produced by retired broodmare Amourous owned by the Ryan family from Bathurst when taking out the final event at Cowra on Saturday.
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When trained by Don Ryan, Amourous was an outstanding galloper and won at Warwick Farm before going to stud and producing dual Canterbury winner So Generous, the prolific country winners and Sydney placed Our Canny Boy and Somebody and, more recently, the victorious Kindness and Happiest.
Don and his son Andrew Ryan now train in partnership at Bathurst and had previously won a Maiden Handicap at Cowra with Happiest before the runaway win by the lightly raced five-year-old mare on Saturday in the Claudia Leighton Birthday Wish Benchmark 58 Handicap (1100m).
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Cowra-based Eleanor Webster-Hawes is the stable jockey for the Ryans at Bathurst and she skilfully overcame a wide barrier on Happiest to take the early lead on Saturday.
After travelling smoothly before the turn Happiest ($14) shot away to win by more than four lengths from All About Me (Michael Heagney, $21) and Miss Hugo A Gogo (Nick Heywood, $5.50).
Elsewhere on Saturday, hometown trainer Barry Wall won again with Deshawn.
Wall received a huge thrill when Deshawn became his career first winner at the Narromine picnics in May and the Cowra based trainer was again very happy on Saturday when the same horse took out the Weeroona Aged Care Residents Class 1 Handicap (950m).
Apart from being a trainer, Wall is the highly regarded curator and track manager at Cowra.
Riding in terrific form, mature age apprentice Kath Bell-Pitomac gave Deshawn ($17) a nice run behind the leaders. Over the concluding stages, Deshawn wore down the Canberra galloper Raven's Rabbit (Aaron Sweeney, $2.60 favourite) to win by a length with almost three lengths to the third placed Miracle Knight (Julia Presits, $41).
The other notable result on the day was the dead heat between Earp and Mr Maharaj in the Skinners Premium Meats Maiden Plate (1200m).
The Kurt Goldman-trained Earp (Kayla Nisbet, $2.05 fav.) chased Todd Blowes' Mr Maharaj (Brodie Loy, $4.80) from the top of the straight to draw level on the line and share the major prize with two lengths to the third-placed Kalks (Angela Cooper, $19).
Canberra trainer Matthew Dale was represented by Fling (Aaron Sweeney, $1.95 fav.), a very easy all-the-way winner of the Molloy's Racing Stables Class 2 Handicap (1375m) while another Canberra trainer Nick Olive won the Happy 21st Serena Galvin Benchmark 58 Handicap (1100m) with The Inflamer ($5.50), ridden by apprentice Ellen Hennessy.
From next door to Canberra at Queanbeyan, trainer Paul Facoory had Tiz War Bro (Patrick Scorse, $2.70 fav.) win the Sheehys Pest Control Maiden Handicap (950m).
