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Import Warringah was brought from England to win a Melbourne Cup but Echuca trainer Daryl Archard was happy to land a more significant personal victory with the stayer at Friday's Albury Cup meeting.
Warringah bounced back from a well beaten 16th in the recent Adelaidie Cup over 3200m to win the win the seventh edition of the $25,000 Adrian Ledger Memorial (2400m).
The topweight, which finished last in the 2009 Melbourne Cup, joined the Archard team last September after he had been through the Chris Waller and Robbie Laing stables.
“He had a few problems when we bought him but he's slowly getting better and better,” Archard said.
“I don't think he can run the 3200 metres. I took him to Adelaide but the work we gave him probably wasn't enough to give him a red-hot crack at it.
“It sounds silly but if you go back through the form, every 3200 run he's had he's been beaten by 30 to 50 lengths. I think 2400 is his go.”
“I wish there were more 2400m races like this in the country.”
Winning rider Nick Hall was full of praise for the veteran gelding, saying he had little trouble once he rolled to the front at the 1600m.
“The plan was to ride him where he was comfortable,” Hall said.
“He was able to stick on well. He's a good stayer.”
Archard was thrilled to win the race named after the late jockey Adrian Ledger as he is a close friend of the Ledger family.
Wangaratta trainer John Ledger, Adrian's father, started last year's winner Fine Cuban but that horse could finish only ninth this year.
Adrian Ledger died as a result of a race fall at Corowa in 2005.