Despite giving the leaders a tidy start in the home straight, Lady Evelyn has motored down the outside to claim one of the guaranteed slots in the Port Macquarie Cup with victory in the Prelude on Sunday.
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As the grand campaigner Scotty Be Gotti dictated terms in front over Eerised and O'Driscoll, Andrew Gibbons was content to sit near the tail of the field and obtain a tag behind the pre-post favourite, Temprado.
As the field approached the home turn, the ultimate winner was still some lengths behind the Tas Morton trained, O'Driscoll, who claimed the lead after covering plenty of additional ground in the event.
O'Driscoll tried to sustain the run in the straight before the Jason Deamer trained mare, Lady Evelyn, came down the outskirts of the track to land the major prize with Dew Drop finishing powerfully down the outside to claim the second placing and ensure a start in next fortnight's premier event.
The performance of O'Driscoll was first class after enjoying absolutely no favours in transit while Temprado finished just behind the placegetters.
Lady Evelyn's success provided popular Novocastrian trainer Jason Deamer with a training double following the tenacious victory by War Cat in the opening event after the Time for War colt was too good on debut after working hard for most of the journey.
Riding honours went to Aaron Bullock who was successful on the well supported Tracey Bartley mare, Ally Bally Bee, in the fillies and mare's Maiden Handicap before steering Bombasay to victory in the closer.
The Rothesay gelding from the Kris Lees stable, Bombasay, is only lightly raced but possesses plenty of ability after being trapped deep and racing ungenerously down the home running with the win stamping him as a horse with above average potential.
Mikayla Weir was allowed to dominate the tempo in front on the Todd Howlett trained mare, Ludivine, to break her maiden status in the middle-distance event while Burn'm won at bolter's odds for the Karen Owen stable in the fourth race.
Okay Boss showed blistering early speed and the son of Street Boss ran his rivals ragged in saluting for local mentor, Matthew McCudden, over Ziziana and Condover Hall in the penultimate.
Racing was conducted under fine skies and before an enthusiastic crowd with the track racing fairly evenly in providing winners positioned on the speed or finishing well down the outside section of the course.
As the curtain closes on a successful prelude meeting, the stage is set for an outstanding cup carnival on October 11 and concluding with Steeline racing action the following day.
The highlight of day one is the Port Macquarie Cup which carries an overall purse of $200,000.
It will be the highest ever prizemoney in the history of the event and will be complimented by the $70,000 Birdon Group Sprint, the Hastings Cup and a Country Magic Class 1 event.
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