TWO local trainers, each with only one racehorse in their stables, had wins with them at Port Macquarie Race Club's matinee TAB meeting at Port Macquarie Racecourse on Saturday.
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In their heyday, both Glen Hodge and Ken Faulds, were leading in winner after winner but in recent times they have only dabbled but still show the polish which made them top in their profession.
Hodge won with his four-year-old mare Miss Kardashian (10-1), ridden by his granddaughter Priscilla Schmidt who had a winning double, and Faulds pulled off a first-up win with new arrival three-year-old gelding More Than Aholiday (6-1 to 15-4, paid $8.30 a win on TAB), ridden by Port jockey Allan Chau.
Fellow trainers and racegoers especially greeted the win of Faulds as they appreciated his return to racing, tears of joy erupting on his daughter, Tammy Grainger, as she strapped the galloper which was formerly trained in Sydney by leading mentor Chris Waller.
Faulds reckoned Tammy deserved the accolades as she had done a marvellous job with the gelding which was having its first start since April in the John Fisher Plumbing Supplies Class 1 Handicap over 1212m.
Chau was in all sorts of trouble in the run-"I got smashed out of the gate and then had problem after problem," he said of the flashing half-length win.
"But he goes good," he said of the win from another three-year-old gelding, 5-4 favourite Shark Bell, having its first run for Port trainer Jenny Graham and denying Schmidt from a winning treble.
Miss Kardashian was under threat of being given "the chop" had she not run a satisfactory race but will now get a reprieve after her neck win in the Iplex Pipelines Class 3 Handicap over 2018m.
Hodge said the mare wants 2000m but there weren't enough races for her.
His son-in-law, trainer Dwayne Schmidt in Queensland, tried to win races with Miss Kardashian but sent her to Hodge, the mare having her fourth run for the Port trainer.
"She can stay?she could go around again," Hodge said.
Jockey Schmidt said she waited until well into the straight before she took off into the strong headwind which upset many horses, going by some disappointing runs by favoured gallopers on the good rated track.
Kempsey gelding Malleable was the 5-4 favourite in the race but finished last.
Schmidt's other winner was on four-year-old gelding Sir Stephen (13-4,which opened at $2.80 for a win on TAB and eased to $6), trained at Wauchope by Robyn Pritchard who took over the galloper after the death of fellow trainer Bob Graham.
She took the gelding straight to the lead, was four lengths in front entering the straight, and held on by a short head in a daring ride to beat Port trainer Neil Godbolt's two-year-old filly Elite Dane (25-1) in the Showerama Maiden Handicap over 1012m.
Premier trainer Godbolt failed to add to his 40.5 wins for the season but had a third placing with Rock 'N' Rich (11-4), forced wide in the MM Kembla Benchmark 50 Handicap over 1012m, behind five-year-old Taree mare Champagne Flyer (10-1), trained by Ian McRobert and ridden by Wauchope jockey Belinda Hodder in leading all the way for a length win.
Leading Port jockey Peter Graham arrived home from a family holiday in Phuket to score by 1.5 lengths on three-year-old filly Who Is Game (13-8) in the Rheem Benchmark 50 Handicap over 1512m.
Its trainer Grant Prosser was overseas on holiday as well and his son, Colt,also a trainer at Wauchope, kept the filly up to the mark.
Seven-year-old gelding Taken (11-4), a winner in Sydney as a three-year-old, returned to the winner's list in scoring by a neck for trainer Norman Rogers and apprentice Kaylee Kirkwood in the Rheem Benchmark 50 Handicap over 1512m.
Port mare With A Twist (13-2), trained by John Sprague and ridden by Port apprentice Gabrielle Coleman, looked likely to win 100m out but Taken kicked right on the line for the narrow win.