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A pair of Newcastle-trained horses recorded impressive wins in restricted class races on the first day of the Taree Cup carnival on Friday, boosting their credentials as future country cups performers.
The Jason Deamer trained Lukey (Glenn Lynch) ran home strongly to win the feature O’Doherty Hospitality Products C2 (1400m) for his third successive win at Taree.
Earlier the Todd Howlett trained Perfectly Aligned (Robert Thompson) scored a ridiculously easy win in the White Ortho BM 60 (2000m), rocketing away untouched in the straight to win by more than four and a half lengths.
Lukey had to survive a protest from Matt Bennett on the second placed Flavian, alleging interference in the last 50 metres.
Lukey came out and bumped Flavian twice. However stewards ruled that he had come from behind to overhaul Flavian and the bumping had only occurred in the last five or six strides while Bennett had not stopped riding.
Deamer believes that Lukey is going to get a lot further than 1400 metres.
“I can see no reason why not once he gets stronger and develops further,” Deamer said. “He is by Arena and bred to get more ground.”
“His dam, Glorious Lady, won three races including one at Randwick over 1800 metres.”
Perfectly Aligned has already stamped his credentials as a middle distance galloper but the problem now facing Howlett is finding suitable races for the four year old.
“He might be a country cups horse, but not yet,” Howlett said. “I want to take him through his grades and let him mature.
“It has taken him to develop and we might have to look to the provincials with him.”
Another potential stayer out of the meeting is the giant Tony McEvoy trained grey Frost Dodger which won the combined C1/Maiden (1600m) to give Andrew Gibbons the first leg of a winning double.
Gibbons also won the Taree Central and Manning Mall Maiden (1250m) on the Kris Lees trained Colour Of Love.
McEvoy’s Hawkesbury based foreman, Barry Wintle, described Frost Dodger as a work in progress.
“He is a typical stayer, still learning what racing is all about. He has the galloping action of a horse that is going to get a lot further.”
Port Macquarie trainer, Neil Godbolt, is a hard marker as far as his horses are concerned but he was marking himself down after Hard Marker (Adam Nicholls) held on to win the Taree Cup Carnival Weekend BM 55 (1250m) at his first start from a spell.
“It’s a long time since I brought a horse to a race meeting looking so rough,” Godbolt said.
“His winter coat has not come away.
“He is a horse with problems but also a horse with his fair share of ability.
“If I can hold him together I think he could win some nice races up to 1600m.”
Hard Marker held on to beat the Alan Scorse trained Antonaire (Grant Buckley) by half a length.
Newcastle trainer Grant Marshall recently returned from a working holiday in Queensland and landed a double with two of the horses he took north, Runlike The Rapids (Ben Looker) and Slots (Terry Treichel).
Runlike the Rapids was placed twice at the Gold Coast while Slots had three runs in Brisbane for two fourths at Doomben and a ninth at Eagle Farm.
