The Queensland reinswoman finished the 10-race meeting with three winners, including the $8000 The Pub Group Gold Nugget Pace (2360m) with Mister Skye Rocket.

Weidemann had led with the five-year-old gelding but looked gone when Enjays Cam passed her in the back straight and rounding the final turn.

“He got three quarters of a length in front,” Weidemann said after the Gold Nugget victory.

“He nearly crossed us.

“He goes good this horse though – he tries.”

A horse with a ton of courage, Mister Skye Rocket gave even more than Weidemann thought he might have had.

“He hasn’t had to go that hard before,” she said.

“To do that today in that race was big.”

Mister Skye Rocket fought back to retake the lead in the straight and then stride to a half neck win from fast-finishing Dubbo pacer Foolish Kiss (Michael Pay) with Comet Prince, who sat three wide for much of the journey, five metres away third.

It was a good day for Weidemann.

She had driven Benzland to win the first race of Gold Nugget day, the Southgate Inn Pace (1980m), and followed up to win another Southgate Inn Pace (1980m) with Free Advice.

Both are trained by Ricky Gordon at Haigslea, where she is now based while her sister trains Mister Skye Rocket at their Clifton home.

Weidemann said her long absence had been due to a number of reasons.

“We’ve been too busy –we’ve got a lot of Queensland-bred stock and are chasing the Queensland bonuses.

“Plus it’s become too expensive to travel.”

She said she might be back for the Golden Guitar Carnival depending on how Mister Skye Rocket fared in the $8000 The Pub Group Gold Nugget.

“We might come back for the Cup race if Mister Skye Rocket goes all right in the Gold Nugget she said before that race.

After it?

“We’ll probably come back now,” she said of a $20,000 Tamworth City Cup race run on Golden Guitar Final night, Sunday January 24.

“He should get a run now.”

Lola and sister Julie have been frequent and successful visitors to Tamworth in the past.

“We’ve had plenty of good winners here,” Lola said.

“We’ve won some good races but we also have plenty of good friends down this way. That’s another reason why we come back.”