Four-year-old gelding Cogliere couldn’t recover from a slow start, a poor barrier draw and an impressive ride from Peter Graham on board Brazen.

Despite the second-place, two length finish behind Graham, Quinn wasn’t too disappointed about the run.

“Peter Graham gave Brazen a really good ride and we weren’t good enough,” Quinn said.

“The barrier we drew, the track and the ride of the winner cost us when we found ourselves three deep.”

Quinn suspected it wasn’t going to be his day when they turned for home.

“It was always a worry when a lot of the horses that were one and two around the corner on the day won,” he said.

“We couldn’t overcome the run, but that’s racing.”

View the social photos from the day here: Racegoers have a flutter at 2018 Wauchope Cup | photos

Brazen’s victory thwarted Quinn’s attempts at going back-to-back after Explosive Scene saluted in the Cup last year.

Whereas Brazen had a sweet run, Cogliere was forced wide on the turn after being back from his outside barrier.

Brazen trainer Brett Cavanough said his quest to win other cups had previously been thwarted by hard tracks.

“The soft track played into his hands today,” he said.

“He is a pretty smart horse…he has placed in the Grand Prix and Derby in Queensland.”

When told Brazen had automatically qualified for the $80,000 South Grafton Cup, Cavanough said “that’s better than a poke in the eye with a burnt stick.”

Graham had the gelding in third and second place early and coming to the turn he surged to the front.

Cogliere made up lengths for second to beat Taree three-year-old gelding Blinkin Artie by just under a length.

The heavily backed favourite, Wyong five-year-old gelding King Viv, trained by Kim Waugh and ridden by Sydney hoop Blake Shinn, was fourth early and battled on for sixth.

Graham told the crowd at the presentation that the win was for Wauchope where he grew up as a youngster.

Another Wauchope “son”, trainer Colt Prosser, and now resident jockey Belinda Hodder, combined for a win with three-year-old gelding Salad Dodger in the Class 2 Handicap over 1506m.

The win was a celebration for the many Wauchope owners, 16 of them and their families who posed for photos with the galloper after the win.

Hodder, who rode a winning double, said of Salad Dodger:”He goes alright…just a big kid.”

She had the field struggling when she led by up to five lengths at one stage in a good trial for Salad Dodger for the $80,000 Grafton Guineas next month.

Hodder’s other win was on three-year-old gelding Dragoneight, trained at Muswellbrook by Luke Thomas, which scored by three lengths in the Class 1 Handicap over 1006m.