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By Greg Prichard

Coffs Harbour trainer Sally Taylor has had a fabulous run recently and she is optimistic about it continuing when she takes Talana ($7.50 on TAB) to the feature event of the day at Taree today.

Talana will contest race six on the eight-race card, the $32,000 McGrath Manning Valley Wingham Cup over 1600m, and Taylor says the five-year-old gelding is in the mood to make the trip worthwhile.

“I’m quite confident he’ll run really well,” Taylor said. “He’s in career-best form.

“He does have to take that next step to open-company class, but in saying that he raced in a Benchmark 82 at Inverell last start and probably the firmness of the track was the only thing that got him beat.

Talana (Liberty Smyth) in winning touch at Taree. Image by Trackside Photography

“He didn’t let down as well on it after racing on wet track after wet track for a while.”

Talana will start from barrier five in the 12-horse field and be ridden by promising apprentice jockey Liberty Smyth, whom Taylor uses regularly.

The pair most recently combined for a winner with Flying Shelly at Coffs Harbour on Wednesday.

“Good gate and Liberty’s claim takes two kilos off, so he only has to carry 53,” Taylor said.

“He’s well in it with that weight because he’s always had to carry big weights in his career. The fact he’ll have no weight on his back, I think he’ll really relish it.

“And Liberty knows him so well and he seems to run for her, so everything has worked out with the track conditions and the race being at Taree.”

The Taree surface is rated a Heavy 9. Talana easily won a Benchmark 66 race over 1614m on a Heavy 8 at Taree two starts back when piloted by Smyth, who has ridden him three times for two wins.

“I’m happy with him and if he races as well as he did last time there I do see him as being hard to beat,” Taylor said.

“He’ll give it a good shake and be in the finish, I think. He’s a trier, he always puts in 100 per cent and if he gets a bit of luck things can go his way.”

Taylor has trained eight winners over the last three months and when you narrow it down to the period from April 16 onwards she has produced six winners from 26 starters at a strike-rate of 23.07 per cent.

“It’s pretty much to do with the quality of horses I’ve been able to work with and the fact I’ve had a move of stables here at Coffs,” she said.

“It’s a much better set-up where we are now. More boxes and big, roomy yards and it’s a bit quieter as well. It takes horses a while to settle in again after a change of barns, but now they’re thriving and loving it.

“I’ve got 24 in work now. It’s a good number for me. I’ve got plenty of really good staff and track riders and we’re all working well as a team.

“I’ve got a lot more staff and because of that we can vary it. I had horses out doing a bit of showjumping on the weekend and we take them to the beach more as well.

"You need to have the horses to warrant more staff and we’re getting that.”

Five Taree-based trainers - Grant Jobson (Supreme Command, $7.50), Karen Owen (Full Regalia, $5.50), Tony Ball (Strobing, $12), Brett Lazzarini (He’s Godspeed, $26) and Craig Ruttley (King Soleil, $34) - will have runners in the Wingham Cup.

And one of those runners, Supreme Command, is very well performed in heavy going.

The five-year-old gelding has had nine starts on good tracks for no wins, two seconds and no thirds. That record improves dramatically in soft going (14: 2-3-1) and continues on an upward spiral in the heavy (6: 3-0-1).

Four-year-old gelding King Soleil has good recent form in the heavy, winning a Class 1 event over 1400m at Tuncurry on May 9 and battling on well for fourth in a Country Benchmark 58 over 1500m at Port Macquarie on May 27.

All gate-entry proceeds will be donated to the Children’s Cancer Institute.

*First race 12.12pm. Gates open 11am. Entry $10 adults and $5 concession. Café Nosh Taree bistro, bar and full TAB and bookmaker facilities in the air-conditioned Winning Post Function Centre.

See Manning Valley Race Club Facebook page for more details.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Taree here