Giddyup helped bring some extra New Year cheer for punters with a close win in the $10,000 Harelec Solar Power New Year’s Day Cup at the Port Macquarie race track on Tuesday.
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In front of a bumper crowd, the honest campaigner held on to pip the George Woodward-trained Smokey Eye.
The six-race card featured some top racing with punters clambering to get onboard the local favourite.
Race club chief executive Michael Bowman praised the more than 2000 punters who streamed into the race track for the event.
"They were a very happy crowd and there were just no issues," Bowman said.
"The conditions were perfect. If the weather is good it tends to bring people out to the track for a great day of racing.
"We did have a power outage for about five minutes but no-one seemed too worried about it."
Mr Bowman said Harelec owner Jamie Harrison, who doubles as a race club board member, had been a sponsor of the New Year's Day race meeting for a number of years.
With the rail out five metres with the smaller fields, Bowman says all eyes will now turn to two major meetings - one in January and the second in February.
"The culmination of racing action in January is at the commencement of the Australia Day holiday weekend with the running of the $60,000 Queen of the North Handicap," he said.
"This is one of the blue-ribbon events on the club’s calendar, to be conducted on Friday January 25.
"We will also be hosting the Country Championships at the track on February 17.
"This is a $150,000 qualifying heat for Mid-North Coast horses.
"The final is set for Sydney on Saturday April 16."
Giddyup scored by a long head to Smokey Eye with a further length to the third placed Ticket To Fly.
The Kroc was a scratching for trainer John Sprague.
Racing got underway with the maiden handicap over 1512 metres.
The Woodward-trained Bon Bon proved too good, ridden well by Craig Franklin. Oakwoods Hope, with crowd favourite Peter Graham in the saddle, was second from Murtalert, with Luke Rolls onboard.
In the second of the day, the maiden plate over 1110 metres, Peter Graham greeted the judge with the Joanne Hardy-trained Araucaria winning comfortably from Miss Cran and Zero Jester in third place.
In the Maiden Plate over 1110 metres, Graham steered home his second win of the day when Call The Game greeting the judge with Dragon's Flyer in second place.
Cejay Graham rode Secret Lago into third place.
Jockey Luke Rolls rode Complete Faith to a win in the Benchmark 50 handicap over 1110 metres with Peter Graham steering home Munro for trainer Lisa Sheppard.
Clever Gent, for trainer John Bannister and jockey Travis Wolfgram finished in third place.
Peter Graham completed his trifecta of wins for the meeting with a win in the final race of the day, the class 1 handicap over 1512 metres.
Splash Of Lime scored handsomely from Lucky Starlet with Magic Ticket in third place.
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