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By Greg Prichard

You weren’t imagining it at Taree last Friday – Peter Graham really did train the winner of the second-last race at the meeting and then rode the winner of the last.

The hugely experienced and popular Mid North Coast racing identity made his dual licence count for plenty when Gold Card, in the Vale Terry “Diver” Wright Class 2 Plate, and Salad Dodger, in the MCC USU Picnic Day Country Boosted Benchmark 58 Handicap, both saluted.

Racing NSW introduced dual licences in 2019 and Graham successfully applied for one last year. He was having an extended lay-off from riding at the time because of a nagging shoulder injury, but after finally being able to recover he returned to riding this year.

Jockey/trainer Peter Graham. Image by Port Macquarie News

Anna Roper rode Gold Card to a clear win after being close-up in the run and then Graham rode the Colt Prosser-trained Salad Dodger with great vigour to come from well back on straightening and hit the front right on the line.

What a way to finish the day, with what may be a unique double - in NSW at least.

“I don’t know whether anyone’s done it before,” Graham said. “Maybe elsewhere, in places like North Queensland where they’ve had dual licences for a fair few years, but in NSW the dual licence hasn’t been around that long.

“I’ve only got four horses in training and I’ve started riding a bit more recently. Colt asked me to ride Salad Dodger and since it fitted in well, because its race was after the one I trained in, I said OK.

“I put an apprentice on mine to claim a bit of weight off him and that worked well and then I got up in the last on Colt’s horse, so it turned out to be a pretty good day.

“I’ve only been back riding for a few months and that was only my second winner, but I rode two more on the five-race card at Wauchope on Saturday, so it turned out to be a terrific weekend.

“I thought my riding days were over at one stage, the shoulder injury was so bad, but it eventually came good. It’s great to get a second chance at it.

“Riding makes for a better income than training when you’ve only got a small stable, so I’ll keep it going that way for a while.”

Graham is now aiming to bring Gold Card to Sydney for a suitable TAB Highway Handicap in the near future and hopes the horse can continue to improve and be a contender in the Country Championships in the autumn.

“You’ve got to aim high,” he said. “You can always come back to something else if it’s not meant to be.”

Graham applauded the Taree course staff for producing the track in great order despite regular heavy rain events this year.

“The track has been racing terrific,” he said. “It’s been one of the better surfaces through all of the wet weather. They’ve done a great job there.”