Sport
20 June, 2025
Western Racing Report - Walgett and Coonamble
Raced at Walgett, Saturday, June 14 and Coonamble, Sunday, June 15.
Raced at Walgett, Saturday, June 14
On the same day her son, apprentice jockey Braith Nock, rode his first Sydney winning treble, Bendemeer trainer Jane Clement won the 1400 metres Geronimo Farm Equipment-New Holland-Walgett Cup with Awesome Tycoon.
Racing in front of a bumper crowd at Walgett on Saturday, Tavanasia led the Cup field before Awesome Tycoon (Brontë Simpson, $6) from near last emerged with a strong run to beat Tavanasia (Shayleigh Ingelse, $3) by more than two lengths with Hardyo (Zoe Hunt, $10), a stablemate of the winner, running on well for third.
Brontë Simpson (23) who is apprenticed to Wyong trainer Sara Ryan, at her first race ride in May won on the Kristen Buchanan-trained Stylebender at Muswellbrook and Awesome Tycoon at Walgett was her third winner.
In the opening event at Walgett, Brontë Simpson had won the 900 metres Maiden Plate on the Michael Lunn, Dubbo-trained Soho Coco.
Last on the home turn, Soho Coco ($4.20) sprinted down the outside for a two lengths win over Tiny Missile (Zoe Hunt, $4.50) and Horeb (Billy Cray, $3.60).
Another to come from last early was the Lea Shelby, Armidale trained Invincible Faith (Shayleigh Ingelse, $3.80 favourite) when beating Adviser (Brontë Simpson, $5) and the leader Party Prophet (Kody Nestor, $5) in the 1000 metres Tefcon Concreting and Robson Concrete Benchmark 50 Handicap.
Forbes trainer Bill Hayes won at Cobar the previous week with Gypsy King and he again utilised the services of Dubbo apprentice Caine Stuart for Monkey Rat in the 1300 metres Woodham Petroleum Class One Handicap.
Reaching the lead from midfield, Monkey Rat ($10) held on beat the fast finishing Epic Time (Izzy Neale, $6) by a half length with Zoucan Toucan (Georgina McDonnell, $7) over six lengths away in third place.
Second leg of a double for apprentice Shayleigh Ingelse was aboard the Michael Mulholland-trained Star Of Salisbury ($2.80 fav.) in the 1400 metres Walgett District Sporting Club Maiden Handicap while the final event, the 1600 metres Dubbo City Toyota BM 50 Handicap was won by Kody Nestor on the Ridge Wilson, Inverell-trained $8 chance Jakat.
Raced at Coonamble, Sunday, June 15
Richard Jackson, a long-time Walgett trainer now based at Dubbo, on Sunday won the prestigious Nutrien Ag Solutions Coonamble Cannonball with Smooth Esprit.
The talented galloper is better known for success over longer trips however Jackson had the eight-year-old gelding ready to fire over the 1100 metres at the first run back from a spell.
Deion, That’s Better and Rothgate vied for the lead in the run to the home turn with Smooth Esprit parked on the rails and ready to strike.
Superbly ridden by Nick Heywood, Smooth Esprit ($21 to $15) shot along the inside to win by over a length from Dream Game (Shannen Llewellyn, $8.50) and Deion (Tilly McCarroll, $2 to $1.90 favourite). Garry Lunn has a tremendous prospect in the three-year-old filly Fetes Des Meres, winner of the only two starts for the Dubbo trainer. Unplaced at five starts in Victoria before coming to the Lunn stable, Fetes Des Meres has demolished big fields at Warren and Coonamble and is definitely a horse to follow.
Mowing down the opposition when a runaway winner after being well back at Warren, Fetes Des Meres was again ridden by leading apprentice Shannen Llewellyn in the 1300 metres Dave Carter Plumbing/GM Constructions Class One Handicap at Coonamble.
Travelling smoothly, Fetes Des Meres ($3 to $2.30 favourite) worked through the field to take the lead turning for home then accelerated to an over four lengths win from Skeptical (Clayton Gallagher, $6) and All Too Sneaky (Kody Nestor, $4.80).
Always popular is a win at Coonamble for former local trainer Damian Lane when he returns with a team from his Wyong stables.
A placegetter in the 2024 Wellington Boot, Sneaky Sofia represented Damian Lane in the 1200 metres Pennell Transport/Finch Engineering Two-Year-Old and Three-Year-Old Handicap with apprentice Brontë Simpson in the saddle.
Brontë Simpson had ridden a winning double at Walgett the previous day including Awesome Tycoon in the Cup and her four kilogram allowance proved crucial over the closing stages at Coonamble.
Challenged over the final 300 metres, Sneaky Sofia ($3.20) held off Blue De Beers (Clayton Gallagher, $2.15 to $2.05 favourite) by a half head with almost three lengths to the third placed Andale (Kath Bell-Pitomac, $26).
Former successful harness racing trainer-driver Warwick Harper from Dubbo is the owner of Great Southernland which finally broke through to win the 1200 metres PW Concrete and Fox Transport Maiden Handicap.
Trained at Narromine by Kylie Kennedy, Great Southernland started at $51 and after racing near the tail of the field came with a good down the outside to beat Spradax (Mikayla Weir, $61) and The Git Up (Clayton Gallagher, $2.05 favourite).
Kylie Kennedy also trains Lagoon (Jake Pracey-Holmes) which as a $31 outsider ran a bold race when second to the Brett Robb trained West Head (Shayleigh Ingelse, $1.80 favourite) in the 1600 metres Mortimor Mechanical /Dunstan Farmers Super Maiden Plate.
The second leg of a winning double for Brett Robb and Shayleigh Ingelse was Micro Mikki ($4.40) which made it three wins from the last four starts when beating Miss Capricorn (Shannen Llewellyn, $8.50) and Cheap Gas (Mikayla Weir, $21) in a close finish to the 1100 metres McKeown Electrical/Boss Agriculture Class Three Handicap.
Dubbo trainer Clint Lundholm has earned a reputation for winning the last race at meetings in his former hometown Coonamble and it happened again on Sunday with Always Fiorente in the 1600 metres Swanny’s Foods Benchmatk 58 Showcase Handicap.
Fourth turning for home, Always Fiorente (Clayton Gallagher, $9) wore down Big Short (Kody Nestor, $18) to win by over a length with Margaret’s Missile (Mikayla Weir, $8.50) a strong finishing third.
The other winner at Coonamble was the Peter Mills, Quirindi trained Hollywood Gold (Shannen Llewellyn, $4.60 to $3.80 favourite) over Takeover Lad (Kody Nestor, $4.40) and Street Swagger (Wendy Peel, $31) in the 1300 metres Sipcam Class One Handicap.
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