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By John Curtis

Mitch and Desiree Kearney are looking forward to their first runners in the season opening two-year-old features at Royal Randwick on Saturday week.

But the popular Hawkesbury husband and wife trainers’ understandable excitement will be put on hold temporarily whilst they attempt to repeat their recent career best performance back at home on Thursday.

Team Kearney took five horses to the last Hawkesbury meeting on September 11 – and all earned prizemoney, two winning and the other three placing.

Lady Shenanigans (Mollie Fitzgerald) powers home to score at Hawkesbury. Image by Bradley Photographers

Again the couple is taking five horses to their home track fixture and, whilst acknowledging it won’t be easy to produce a “carbon copy” result, nothing is impossible.

Team Kearney is headed by stable favourite Lady Shenanigans ($10 on TAB) in the Iggy’s Class of ’25 CG&E Benchmark 64 Handicap (1100m), with apprentice Mollie Fitzgerald again claiming 2kg.

Lady Shenanigans, a Zoustar eight-year-old who cost only $1750 online in April 2021 as an unraced three-year-old, has already earned nearly $350,000 and is seeking his 10th victory.

He again tackles the closer tomorrow after also winning, with Fitzgerald aboard, the final race (a Midway Benchmark 64 Handicap, 11000m) to round off the couple’s memorable day a fortnight ago.

“Lady Shenanigans is making good use of his pensioner’s card,” Desiree Kearney said this morning. “He is really glowing this preparation, and enjoying his racing.

“Whilst only one of his wins has been on a good track, it’s more a case that he has had plenty of bad luck in many of his starts.

“We’re confident Lady Shenanigans can run well again tomorrow, and finish in the first three if not win again.”

Team Kearney also likes the chances of nine-times placegetter Share The Joy (Winona Costin-$61) to break through in the HRC Motel Maiden Plate (1500m).

“Her form this campaign has been good with the exception of one run,” Desiree Kearney said. “We put a bubble cheeker on her that day (August 30 at Kembla Grange) and she threw the toys out of the cot and didn’t perform.

“She bounced back once the cheeker came off when third at home at the last meeting. That was on a Soft 7 and Share The Joy will appreciate the better track tomorrow. She hates the wet.”

Team Kearney’s other runners are recent placegetters More Voltage (Costin-$26 in the Clarendon Tavern Midway Class 1 Handicap, 1500m), Heeza Steve (Fitzgerald-$34 in the XXXX Gold Provincial Maiden Handicap, 1300m) and newcomer Miss Johanski (Mitchell Bell-$151 in the Richmond Club Super Maiden Plate, 1000m).

“Miss Johanski is a three-year-old filly by Graff whom we bought last year at the Inglis HTBA yearling sale in Sydney,” Desiree Kearney said. “Her dam Johanski sadly died a month or so before that sale.

“Miss Johanski has some ability, but has needed time and will take improvement from her debut run.”

Team Kearney will start Oh Yes She Did (a filly by The Everest winner Yes Yes Yes) and Iambubb (a colt by I Am Invincible) in the Group 3-Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) and Gr 3-Breeders’ Plate (1000m) respectively at the Epsom Handicap meeting at Randwick on Saturday week.

The pair clinched starts in those races by each winning 850m heats at the official two-year-old trials at the Kensington Track on Monday. Oh Yes She Did ran 50.58 seconds (last 600m in 34.09s), and Iambubb clocked 50.57secs (last 600m in a quicker 33.82s).

Tyler Schiller was aboard both youngsters, and has been booked to ride them for their debuts on Saturday week.

Oh Yes She Did ($240,000) and Iambubb ($270,000) were among a bevy of yearlings close friend Daniel Springfield purchased earlier this year at the Inglis Classic sale to significantly boost Team Kearney’s stable numbers.

“Oh Yes She Did and Iambubb were the two babies we wanted to qualify for the Gimcrack and Breeders’ Plate,” Desiree Kearney said. “Tyler has been coming out to Hawkesbury some mornings to ride them, and we’re really looking forward to taking them to Randwick next week.

“It’s very exciting having our first ever runners in the Gimcrack and Breeders’ Plate.”

The rail is 2m out from the 1100m to 450m for tomorrow’s eight-race program, which begins at 1.05pm.

Course manager Digby Nuthall this morning posted a Good 4 rating. Hawkesbury has received only 5mm of rain in the past week but nothing in the previous 24 hours to 8am today.

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