The win by The Sledgehammer in the $37,000 Narromine Gold Cup on Sunday continued the run of success for Wellington trainer Mick Mulholland with a small team of mainly bargain basement, cast-off gallopers.
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Last season Steamin' won the Forbes, Dubbo and Parkes cups and now The Sledgehammer has won at all four starts, including in the Forbes Cup and Narromine Cup, since joining the Mulholland stable with a previous record of a single win from 18 races.
Kath Bell- Pitomac, who is apprenticed to Mick Mulholland, has been in the saddle for every win by The Sledgehammer during the current campaign and again gave an outstanding display when aboard the six-year-old gelding in the Sunday's 1600m feature on a very heavy track.
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Settling near the back of the field, The Sledgehammer ($4.40) swept past the leaders in the straight and was a dominant four lengths winner over Herzegovina (Greg Ryan, $5) with another four-and-a-quarter lengths to third-placed Any Blinkin' Day (Jake Pracey-Holmes, $15).
Completing a double, Mulholland also won the Narromine Shire Council Benchmark 66 Handicap (1300m) with Divine Jewel.
Coming from a long way back, Divine Jewel (Greg Ryan, $2.80 favourite) finished powerfully to account for Bid To Fame (Vad Bolozhinskyi, $8) and Bravissimo (James Rogers, $2.80).
In the feature sprint race, the Douglas Egan Memorial (800m), the Pat Farrell-trained Bengalla Bay (Greg Ryan, $5.50) overhauled the speedy Just A Flash (Eleanor Webster-Hawes, $3.10) to score by a length.
The Rod Northam-trained Potts Point ($3.90) was the first leg of a treble for Greg Ryan when winning the Maiden Handicap (1100m).
Proving popular with the locals was the win by the Wayne Collison-trained Sue's Girlfriend in the Class 1 Handicap (1200m)
Bred and raced by Wal and Leone Prout from Gilgandra and trained at Narromine, Sue's Girlfriend (Adrian Layt, $3.50 favourite) took the lead turning for home and held on gamely to beat Resetting Edge (Grant Buckley, $5) and Tombola (Reece Jones, $3.90).
Adrian Layt also won the Maiden Plate (1300m) on Apache Rush for Wellington trainer,Jim McMillan.
Working home strongly on the outside, Apache Rush, $26) won by a half head from Ritzy Diva (Michael Heagney, $41 ) with Soldier Poy ( Vad Bolozhinskyi, $21) a nose away third.