A western area trainer may have taken out the first event at Dubbo Turf Club on Monday but there was no doubt the day belonged to those from stables in the Hunter region.
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Northern trainers dominated the meeting, with William Freedman scoring a double while his fellow Scone trainers Cameron Crockett and Stephen Jones also earned themselves winners.
Muswellbrook trainer Jan Bowen was also part of the action as she won with Badboy McCoy.
Nyngan trainer Brett Robb had taken out the first event with Bean Hot to provide some joy for the local area while the day's other race was won by Bathurst trainer Gayna Williams and Zoo Station.
Freedman, Crockett, Jones, and Bowen will all have eyes on the $150,000 Hunter and North West heat of the Country Championships at Tamworth on March 7 and each have their stables racing in good form.
The Bowen-trained Badboy McCoy won at Dubbo to put himself firmly in Country Championships contention.
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Monday's win in the Summer Sunday Benchmark 58 Handicap (1100m) was the three-year-old gelding's third in 13 career starts but one more victory in the coming weeks may be needed to cement a place in the final field of what is regularly one of the stronger heats of the series.
Herzegovina took out the class event of the day, the Pastoral Hotel Open Handicap (1200m), for Jones.
The $2.45 favourite, ridden by Grant Buckley, made punters nervous during a tight battle down the straight but got the win in a photo finish ahead of Lettre D'Amour ($5) and Wild Rocket ($6.50), trained by Narromine's Kylie Kennedy.
"It was a drop in class. He's got city form and a nice honest horse and Grant rode him well but I'd prefer to be a bit more confident at the end," Jones laughed when speaking to Sky Thoroughbred Central.
Freedman's wins came with Little White Lies and Time To Dazzle.
Little White Lies ($2.60 favourite) is far from the finished product but it still showing plenty of potential and Monday's win in the Kings Hall Jewellers Class 2 Handicap (1300m) made it back-to-back wins after two placings in the first four starts of his career.
Time To Dazzle ($7) stepped up in distance in style at Dubbo, winning the Lifeline Benchmark 58 Handicap (2200m) under a fine ride from Clayton Gallagher after sitting midfield for much of the trip.
"She was my first ever winner at Narromine and she's very special to me," Freedman said of Time To Dazzle.
"She needs the trip, obviously, and Clayton gave her a peach of a ride."
The victory was part of a winning treble for Gallagher as he had also won with Little White Lies and the Robb-trained Bean Hot.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
