Racing
Gelderbelle, crowned the Queen of Kalaru, after her sixth win at her home track, provided a wonderful tonic for her ailing trainer Benny Wynen when she raced away with the Tathra Beach Country Club Rating 66 handicap at the Sapphire Coast Turf Club on New Year’s Day.
Apprentice jockey Kayla McEwen, who has ridden Gelderbelle in all her recent wins, called in to see Wynen at Bega Hospital on her way home to Queanbeyan with a DVD of the race so that he could see the win.
Wynen, 71, suffered a stroke at his Wolumla home on December 31, and after two days in Bega Hospital was transferred to Canberra on Friday for further treatment.
The Sapphire Coast’s other veteran trainer, Ray “Nugget” Wheatley of Bega, was also in Canberra hospital over the new year after suffering a minor stroke at trackwork on New Year’s eve.
Their illness has severely depleted local training ranks although both are expected to make a good recovery and be back with their horses in the near future.
Their absence marred what was otherwise an excellent days racing on January 1 with another large crowd of around 2,000, including many holidaymakers, spread over the lawns enjoying the fine, mild weather.
The highlight of the day was the domination of the program by girl power with female jockeys winning four of the five races and Moruya trainer Lynda Bundy leading in a winning double.
The girls rode all six runners in the feature race, the Tathra Beach Bowling Club Tathra Cup, which was won by Brenna, brilliantly ridden by Natalie Lye, the only senior jockey in their ranks.
Moruya apprentice Jessie Whipp rode a winning double to take her tally of wins to 80 and thus reduced her 1.5kg allowance to zero at country meetings.
Gelderbelle’s win continued her remarkable run of success on her home track where she has now won six times from 20 starts with seven seconds and three thirds.
McEwen had the odds on favourite in the box seat early and the five-year-old mare quickly put the issue beyond doubt when she dashed to the lead halfway down the straight.
Gelderbelle ($1.85) won by a length-and-a- quarter from Bailee’s Treat ($3) with a further two lengths to Co Driver Stew ($5.50) third.
Accepting the trophy on Wynen’s behalf, trackwork rider and stablehand Carol Barrett said the win would be the best tonic Benny could have and she also thanked the friends who had rallied round to help with his horses.
Gelderbelle is on track to take out Glen Mia Horse of the Year honours for the third successive year at the Sapphire Coast with two wins from the four meetings held at the track so far this season.
The consistent eight-year-old mare Brenna, trained by Scott wade at Menangle, took her career earnings past $100,000 with victory in the Tathra Beach Bowling Club Tathra Cup over 1000m.
Brenna ($4) dashed clear at the 300metre mark to score impressively by a length-and-a-quarter from topweight and favourite Kiss My Fuji ($2.25) with a head to Biscay Steel ($6) third.
Brenna had very good recent form with a win in the Bong Bong Cup in November followed by placings at Canberra and Queanbeyan in December.
Pretty Precocious ($3.20), the second winner of the day for the Bundy/Whipp combination, made it three wins in succession in the Tathra Hotel-Motel Rating 57 handicap over 900 metres.
The five-year-old mare charged to the front at the start and led all the way to score by a length from Photograph ($10) with a head to TalkingStar ($7) third.
She took 24 runs to bring up her first win but is unbeaten at her last three following earlier victories at Moruya and Adaminaby.
Moruya trainer Wayne Davey celebrated with the longest priced winner of the day when Moorings Patriarch, which was recently purchased by his wife Joan, scored impressively at only his second start for his new trainer.
Neil Perryman produced a great ride to bring Moorings Patriarch ($26) right along the rails with a powerful finish after he had raced near the tail of the field to the turn.
He scored by a head from Blank Canvas ($3) with a further two lengths to Marelyn’s Image ($4.40) third in the Linray Finance maiden plate 1100 metres.
The first race of the day, the Club Sapphire Tura maiden plate over 1600m was won by
Easily Layed ($2.40) colourfully named by his owner a Bungendore bricklayer.
Easily Layed finished strongly to score by a half length from Grizzly Nipper ($4.40) with three-quarters of a length to On The Barby ($2.30) third.
The summer holiday racing continues at the Sapphire Coast Turf Club on Saturday, January 10, with the Merimbula Cup TAB meeting.
There will be an early start to the day with the first of the eight races to be run at 11am.
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