SIX-year-old local gelding Clune's Rocket defied a betting drift to post an emphatic win in the Gooch Agencies Gloucester Cup (1250m) on a soft 6 track at Taree on Tuesday.
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The grey gelding had a winning change of tactics and despite drifting from $2.60 to $3.20 (paid $3.30 TAB), it scored coming away by 1.75 lengths for Taree trainer Michael Byers and Hall Of Fame jockey Robert Thompson.
By the smile on Thompson's face after the race, it could have been an early 58th birthday present for him next month.
The win also validated the contention of Byers that Clune's Rocket was better given time to settle early and then finish off, not that of being among the leaders last start when second to Sofin at the same track.
He said Thompson was a victim of circumstances at its previous start when the gelding jumped so well and there was no pace on early.
But pace early on Tuesday from 10-year-old Taree gelding Dane's Bullet and Kempsey six-year-old gelding French Command, allowed Clune's Rocket to settle rearwards before Thompson threaded his way through the field to hit the front halfway down the straight for a solid win.
It was the gelding's first win for Byers in taking over the galloper and its 11th overall in 40 starts for a band of local owners headed by Gordon Field of Harrington where the galloper was born in Clune's Avenue.
"That's the way to ride the horse," Byers said.
"Robert knows when to take off…Clune's Rocket in his first few starts for me had solid sectionals in his races without winning."
The gelding is by Youthful Legs, the sire of Who Is Game which won for Byers and some of the same owners at Muswellbrook last week and is the sire of Sunday's Tamworth Cup winner Chrisolaus.
Clune's Rocket has a habit of winning cup events for the Krambach Race Club as the gelding also won the Coopernook Hotel Hannam Vale Cup over 1408m at the track in 2014.
Five-year-old Newcastle gelding Tanzen ($8.50) battled on well for second for the Paul Perry stable who again had a winning double, having had winning doubles and three winners at recent Taree Wingham Race Club meetings at Bushland Drive Racecourse.
Perry's four-year-old gelding Torquay ($4.40) was part of those wins and made it three wins at the track in its past three starts for jockey Anthony Cavallo in the Gloucester Advocate Benchmark 55 Handicap over 1600m.
It was its first win on a rain-affected track and was stepping up from 1408m but did it in style by just under a length.
The stable's other winner, giving Cavallo a winning double, was with three-year-old filly Time Stripper ($7.50) which came from back in the field to score by a length in the Newcombe Coach Lines Benchmark 59 Handicap over 1000m.
"I thought we might have led as she won her maiden here by leading," Perry's son Shannon said.
"He (jockey) did the right thing as there was plenty of pace early."
Unfortunately, one of the combination's favourites, three-year-old gelding Time Flies bled and was pulled up in the McLennan Lodge Maiden Plate over 1600m, the race won stylishly by Wyong three-year-old gelding Five Stars Partner ($3.80), trained by Kim Waugh and ridden by Andrew Gibbons.
Wauchope trainer Colt Prosser and his apprentice jockey Mollie Partridge combined for a hard-fought win by two-year-old filly Sweet Missile ($6.50) in the Wingham Accounting Services 2YO Handicap over 1000m.
The long neck win upset a confident plunge with bookmakers on Port Macquarie gelding Star Of Zizou, trained by Neil Godbolt, which firmed from $21 to $8 with it running second in front of well-bred first starter Sepae ($4 to $3.40), another trained by Perry.
"She is a neat running type by a first season leading sire (Sidereus)," Prosser said.
Wyong trainer Jeff Englebrecht and jockey Grant Buckley combined to have three-year-old filly Miss Faith ($4.40) to storm home from near last for a just under a length win at her first start since July in the Hygain 3YO & Upwards Maiden Plate over 1000m.
"She was very buzzy before on the track but she has come back more professional," the trainer said.
A run of bad luck was turned around with the long neck win of Port three-year-old gelding Drummed Out ($7), trained by John Sprague and ridden by Raymond Spokes, in the win Palms Water Class 2 Handicap over 1250m.
"He looked to be a handy horse early on but things haven't gone right of late with him,so today's win was welcome," Sprague said.
Racing returns to Bushland Drive Racecourse on May 23 for a TAB meeting conducted by Taree Wingham Race Club.