Latest News

By Doug Ryan

Winning doubles to Port Macquarie trainer Neil Godbolt and Grafton’s Andrew Parramore, with a treble to Grafton jockey Matt Paget, highlighted racing at Kempsey’s TAB meeting on Monday.

Godbolt kicked off Wauchope Jockey Club’s meeting with three-year-old filly Mamzar, ridden by Ben Looker, scoring at only her third start in the Wauchope Motel Fillies & Mares Maiden over 1250m. He had trouble with the filly's eating habits, then had to spell her after one run as she was running on “empty” and was happy to have her win.

Looker said her win was “good” but she tended to stargaze when she got to the front to hang on by three-quarters of a length: “She has her fair share of ability if she continues to grow,” he said. As much as $7.50 was bet about her and she started at $6.

A perfectly judged ride by in-form Wauchope jockey Belinda Hodder landed four-year-old mare Jawdaa ($4.20) a three-quarters of a length win for Godbolt in the Wauchope Real Estate Class 1 Handicap over 1450m. There were doubts she would run out the distance strongly, so Hodder took advantage of the mare’s rolling nature to lead by up to six lengths mid-race and she still had a bit in hand at the finish.

“Jawdaa ran out the race pretty well,” Godbolt said. He said she was a “beautiful horse” around the stable but once she gets to the track she tends to be fiizzy. Jawdaa had led in a race over 1250m at Taree at her previous start and she just got touched off by Majestic Pedrille.

Parramore and Paget combined with six-year-old mare One More Two More ($5.50) in the Bago Real Estate Benchmark 55 Handicap over 1900m and with nine-year-old gelding Power Receiver ($17) in the M & S Print Benchmark 65 Handicap. Paget said the win of One More Two More was “a tough effort ... he was up in distance and carried more weight: “I had all the favours in sneaking through the field.”

Parramore was emotional after the unexpected win of Power Receiver, the horse's career wins now 13 and his 23 placings earning prizemoney of $204,000: “He’s a good horse; I have had him all along and he has been working good.” The gelding is expected to be given to an admirer at Coffs Harbour in retirement.

Favourite, Coffs Harbour gelding Command Hunter ($4.40), trained by Peter Evans and ridden by Cejay Graham, led until the closing stages to hang on for second whereas local hope Pomme Petite weakened to be back in the field.

Paget’s other win, giving him a rare treble, was on Port Macquarie trainer Peter Cheers’s five-year-old gelding Mister Hootabell ($31) in the Port City Glass Maiden Plate over 1450m. Cheers said he instructed Paget to ride the gelding back (seventh) so he had a finishing burst, the winning margin being a head. Paget said he thought he would be disappointed for a run but got out just in time.

Port Macquarie jockey and apprentice jockey, father and daughter, Peter Graham and Cejay Graham, posted a win each. Peter had a length to spare on the line with a win on six-year-old gelding Eddy Would Go ($6) for Coffs Harbour trainer Trevor Hardy in the Hastings Co-Op Farm Supplies Class 2 Handicap over 1250m.

Cejay, after two seconds and a third, finally posted a win by a short-half head on Port Macquarie five-year-old gelding Laurentian ($3.20 fav), trained by her master John Sprague, in the Wauchope RSL Benchmark 61 Handicap over 1000m.

Easiest win on the card, being by one and half lengths, was posted by three-year-old gelding Bochy ($1.45 fav), trained at Newcastle by Kris Lees and ridden by Andrew Gibbons, in the Wauchope Stock & Estate Agents Entires & Geldings Maiden 1250m.

View the full results with race replays for Kempsey here