PORT Macquarie trainer Neil Godbolt will be hoping for a consolation win with Flying Kistena, to make up for a nose defeat in the $25,000 Kempsey Cup last week, at Taree Wingham Race Club’s eight-race TAB meeting at Bushland Drive Racecourse on Tuesday.
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His gallant mare was beaten by Taree gelding Clune’s Rocket and although up in weights should be in the picture after getting a good barrier.
Godbolt believes Flying Kistena has paid dearly for her great consistency following wins early in her career and she is not the biggest galloper to don silks.
But Port jockey Priscilla Schmidt has developed a good association with the mare and has been on her for a win,third and a second at her past three starts.
The mare’s biggest problem was overcoming tardy starts and getting back in the field but recently Flying Kistena is getting away more positively and running on well.
The big guns from down south appear to be her main opposition, they being four-year-old Scone mare Straiffic, trained by Greg Bennett and to be ridden by Robert Thompson and five-year-old Broadmeadow gelding Dayarma, trained by Steve Hodge and to be ridden by Blake Spriggs.
Straiffic has been runner-up at Port and Newcastle at her last two starts and will appreciate the 1600m of the Winning Post Function Centre Class 3 Handicap.
Dayarma was second to Flying Kistena at Port on October 11 and found the class too strong at Newcastle when eighth last start.
The McGrath’s Meats Class 3 Heat of the Rising Star Apprentices Handicap over 1000m looks like a race for the more experienced,seasoned youngsters.
It is hard to go past five-year-old gelding Hammoon Bay, to be ridden by Serg Lisney and trained by Jeff Englebrecht, it winning its past two races at Muswellbrook over 1000m.
Other chances are Wigginout,trained at Wyong by Allan Kehoe and to be ridden by Port apprentice Priscilla Schmidt and My Seventeenseventy,trained at Scone by Peter Bloomfield and a mount for in-form Samantha Clenton.
One of the better bets on the card should be Crocea, trained at Wyong by Stephen Farley, a good second here last start and a top mount for Grant Buckley in the Eddie’s Fresh Chickens Fillies and Mares Benchmark 55 Handicap over 1400m.
Doug Ryan's selections:
Race 1: Crocea 1, The Iron Maiden 2, Mydream 3.
Race 2: Hammoon Bay 1, Wigginout 2, Mr Seventeenseventy 3.
Race 3: Halo Deer 1, Decompression 2, The Miz 3.
Race 4: Century Boy 1, Alofthym 2, Zinzja Command 3.
Race 5: Flying Kistena 1, Straiffic 2, Dayarma 3.
Race 6: Lady Lobban 1, Little Jatz 2, In A Wink 3.
Race 7 Rigamarole 1, Delagos 2, Nonino 3.
Race 8: Malraux 1, Northern Magic 2, Moon Symbol 3.