He might not have got the dream result in the Country Championships Final, but it took Dubbo trainer Brett Robb very little time to get back to winning ways on the weekend.
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Robb contested his first $500,000 Country Championships at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Robb's hope Great Buy, the winner of the $150,000 Western Racing Association heat at Coonamble, got forward but faded on the heavy going and ultimately finished in what was still the creditable position of 10th.
As is the life of a country trainer, there was little time to rest and on Sunday Robb was at Mudgee to watch two promising hopes from his stables score victory.
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All Words and Majority both won at Mudgee in eye-catching fashion.
After only winning once in the first 11 starts of his career, All Words debuted for Robb with a fourth at Wellington last month and he followed it up Sunday by winning the Bob Fulton Benchmark 58 Handicap (1850m) by more than a length.
Just two races later Robb was at the winner's stalls again after jockey Jackson Searle and Majority produced a strong performance from a wide gate in the Manly Sea Eagles Benchmark 58 Handicap (1100m).
It was a satisfying win as Robb had set Majority towards the Wellington Town Plate feature, only to see that washed out twice last week.
"I was pretty pleased. I was a bit worried about the wide gate but I thought she had a bit on these horses so I was confident," Robb told Sky Thoroughbred Central after the win.
"She goes pretty well, this mare. We had her going there (Wellington) and we were going to keep her for a Highway in a couple of weeks but she was getting a bit over the top and needed to race.
"So we thought we'd send her around and if we could win a couple of races we'll set her for the Country Cup over in Scone in a couple of weeks."
The $90,000 Country Cup at Scone is a benchmark 84 event to be run over 1400m on May 13.
"She's a very smart horse," winning jockey Searle said after jumping from gate 11.
"Obviously I drew quite tricky but the race just landed in our lap.
"She was travelling quite well and Mr Robb and the owners said if you could get going early on her and get her into the race that's the best thing and they were 100 per cent right."
Newcastle trainer Mark Minervini also scored a double at Mudgee, winning with So Sassy and New Republic while there was also a win each for Cheryl Crockett and her son and fellow trainer, Cameron.
Cameron won with Imperiousness and Cheryl took out the next event with Fact Finder.
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