Resuming from a spell since her run in Highway company at Rosehill last November, the Casino Prince mare benefited from an eye-catching recent Taree barrier trial to land one of the club’s feature races.

The victory was only the mare’s second from fourteen starts with plenty of owners sharing the spoils and the excitement of a promising future.

Andrew Gibbons settled just off the pace before making his move on Lucciola Belle to challenge the early leaders, Sweet Missile, Penfold and Dual Escape as the field approached the home bend.

Josh Adams momentarily raced to the lead on the Kristen Buchanan trained mare, Dual Escape, before Lucciola Belle flashed down the outside to race clear while Valree flashed home late to claim second.

The run of the Rodney Northam trained mare, Valree, was outstanding as she was resuming from a spell of seven months without a trial and settled second last before making up enormous ground in the straight.

The win by Lucciola Belle completed a riding double for Andrew Gibbons following the success of Malea magic for Bob Milligan earlier in the program.

There were some outstanding performances throughout the day with the highlight being the comprehensive win by the Marc Quinn trained gelding, Gumshoe, who scored by five lengths in race two.

Tracey Bartley produced a very promising debutant in the shape of Joigny, who was well supported before scoring after tracking wide for the majority of the event.

Jenny Graham has enjoyed a wonderful summer in south east Queensland with the juggernaut continuing when Let’s Rebelle and Reece Jones gained a saloon passage to kick clear for a strong victory in the Class three.

The performance of Clevanicc in the race was full of merit after coming from a near the tail of the field and making plenty of ground over the concluding stages. 

Following recent placings at Kempsey, Coffs Harbour and Taree, Typhoon Bonny was dispatched as firm favourite before breaking through for a deserved victory in the Benchmark 66 Hcp.

The meeting was conducted under fine skies with the track upgraded from a Good 4 to a Good 3 due to the hot weather conditions and constant breeze persisting for most of the afternoon.

The pattern of racing generally tended to favour horses on the speed, with the exception being the performance of Robert Thompson and Sarasota Bay, who stormed down the outside to salute in the final event. 

Racing continues Port next Friday with the Mid North Coast Championship Preview in preparation for the all important $150,000 district qualifier on Sunday 17th February with all other events on the program subject to Showcase status providing a minimum of $30,000 per race.

There is plenty at stake in the main event as the contestants look for a share the half million purse in the Country Championships Final over 1400 metres at Randwick on April 6.

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