They are Za Za Zena ($3.50) trained at Wauchope by Ron Broomhall and ridden by Jenny Duggan, and Lochita ($2.05) from the Newcastle combination of trainer Jason Deamer and jockey Samantha Clenton.

Za Za Zena notched her second win in a row in the Kennards Hire-Taree Class 1 Handicap over 1400m after scoring at Port at her previous start and is certainly repaying Broomhall for his patience, perseverance and financial outlay to fix a throat ailment for the Zariz mare.

He paid $1800 for her, transported her at a cost of $600 from Victoria, and then, after a few runs, forked out $3000 to have her operated on for a wind problem.

Broomhall gave her plenty of time to recover and has been rewarded with three placings and the two wins to take her prizemoney to more than $25,000.

The mare was to have her next start after the initial win back at Port but she had done so well that he decided on the Taree race closer to home and she led most of the way to score by a half-length.

Lochita again showed her prowess in country level races by scoring by nearly two lengths in the Thompson Motor Body Builders Benchmark 58 Handicap over 1600m.

The four-year-old Lonhro mare won her maiden at Taree after a top barrier trial at the same track and two starts ago romped home by four lengths at Tuncurry.

Lochita always travelled well and given her head by Clenton was too classy and could have won by more in a race where Taree's Lippy And Pearls and Burn'm were disappointing.

Five-year-old mare Maid Marilyn, owned by David Parker and his wife,was resuming from a spell in scoring by a half-length for Port Macquarie trainer John Sprague and apprentice Liam Blanch in the Dennis Barstow Memorial Benchmark 58 Handicap over 1250m on a heavy 8 track.

The three kilo claim for Blanch aided the mare to just hold out Taree's I'll Take Money, trained by Ross Stitt.

She was having her 11th start for Sprague since being transferred from the Gai Waterhouse-Adrian Bott yard at Randwick.

Under the former team, Maid Marilyn had wins at Canterbury in 2017 and at Newcastle the next year and her latest win took her prizemoney to over $100,000.

Sprague admitted he wasn't all that confident she would win first-up from a spell but as she was small was probably aided by being down in the weights.

"She had a win in a trial first-up but today everything went in her favour," he said.

The first race, the Stacks Law Firm Maiden Handicap over 1000m, was robbed of two of the favoured gallopers in Inferno Miss and Magic Smile when they became agitated at the barriers and were scratched on vet's advice.

The race was won by 4.5 lengths by Honey Elysees ($4), trained by Jeremy Sylvester and ridden by top strike rate apprentice jockey Mikayla Weir.

Other winners were Supreme Diva ($8.50), trained at Coffs Harbour by Brett Bellamy and ridden by Jon Grisedale in the Win Television Class 1 Handicap over 1000m and Proprius ($7.50), trained at Gosford by John Cooper and ridden by Vad Bolozhinsky in the XXXX Maiden Plate over 1400m.

Proprius was having its first start since April last year after a 2nd over 2012m at Port Macquarie in a great training effort.