THE Port Macquarie stable of John Sprague with eight wins in as many weeks could add another two to the tally at Taree Wingham Race Club’s seven-race TAB meeting on Thursday.
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Spear-heading the quest are two last start winners in three-year-old geldings Drummed Out in the Mid Coast Automotive Group 3YO Country Plate over 1400m and newcomer to the stable, last start track and distance winner Laurentian, in the Taree Cup Weekend August 19 & 21 Benchmark 55 Handicap over 1000m.
Drummed Out has won two of its last three starts at Taree and Grafton and is on trial for the $50,000 Grafton Guineas over 1600m at the Grafton Cup Carnival on July 13.
The meeting also takes on added meaning for Taree five-year-old mare Marmaduke’s Lady, trained by “Pablo” Shultz, as it is being aimed for the $50,000 South Grafton Cup over 1600m on July 10.
All three gallopers should prove hard to beat in their respective races at Taree.
Sprague was looking at taking Drummed Out to Rosehill Gardens on Saturday for a Highway race but decided to stay at home for what looks like an easier race.
The trainer has always had a high opinion of Drummed Out, raced by a Port syndicate of owners headed by Brett Adkins, father of in-form Sydney apprentice jockey Andrew Adkins, but reckons the gelding is still learning its profession.
“Drummed Out is still green…it has taken time for him to mature but it was a good effort last start to win (from barrier 10 over 1425 at Grafton on May 30),” Sprague said.
“Coming back from a spell he was over-fresh and over-raced but now he should be ready to further improve.”
Drummed Out, again to be ridden by Coffs Harbour jockey Raymond Spokes, who has been on the gelding for its past three runs,was ninth at the 400m at Grafton and rattled off a great finish to score by a length from Kempsey’s Pomme Petite and Harvard Graduate.
The Commands gelding has only had 13 starts for three wins and two seconds and has won two races at Bushland Drive Racecourse and one at the distance,its wins being on good and soft tracks.
Laurentian was having his first start for Sprague and new owners Lesley and Peter White, who paid $7500 for the galloper formerly in the stable of Warwick Farm trainer Matthew Smith, when it bolted in by 4.25 lengths over 1000m at Taree on June 3.
Race rider, Terry Treichel of Kempsey, said the gelding did a few things wrong in the run but the win showed there were more of them to come.
“It was a good debut for me and the horse pulled up well,” Sprague said.
The win was all the more impressive because Treichel lost a stirrup iron out of the barrier and it took him some time to get balanced and regain it.
“The horse may have been scared by this and tried harder,” Sprague said in retrospect.
“Laurentian has got ability but it is always harder taking the next step from maiden company.
“I am having a good trot with wins in the last couple of months and all the hard work by my staff is paying off,” he added.
Marmaduke’s Lady has been one of the unluckiest local runners in good races because she gets back and then needs luck in running but she certainly gets her chance to notch her first win this campaign the Taree Cup Prelude-August 11 Benchmark 60 Handicap over 1600m.
“At Canterbury last start (1500m) she got carted back at a vital stage and then just couldn’t make up the ground (beaten 4.5 lengths over 1550m by Like Xena),” Shultz said.
“She has been hitting the line nicely in harder races (third over 1400m,1.8 lengths behind Harlem Ladt at Warwick Farm, previous start) and she has been screaming out for distance.
“She has had an operation for bone chips in her front legs,is tough as old boots and only needs luck to win.”
Prolific track winning jockey Grant Buckley takes the plumb ride where the hardest to beat will be four-year-old Newcastle gelding Torquay, a winner of three races straight at this track for trainer Paul Perry before its latest ninth and five-year-old Coffs Harbour gelding Accord, trained by Cathleen Rode, a good second to in-form Lord Zof two starts back on her home track.
Doug Ryan’s selections:
Race 1: Ozirose 1, I Am Dynamic 2, Cantear 3.
Race 2: Drummed Out 1, Macquidez 2, Dizzy Success 3.
Race 3: Ciqala 1, Do I Know You 2, Bobby Be 3.
Race 4: Marmaduke’s Lady 1, Torquay 2, Accord 3.
Race 5: Holy Weeva 1, Star Reflection 2, Capital Magic 3.
Race 6: Stoddart 1, Like My Brother 2, Try ‘N’ Run A Muck 3.
Race 7: Laurentian 1, Poet’s Trick 2, Kikimora 3.