TURF
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IF THE Coonabarabran Cup was raced in the next fortnight Devilgate Road might be an automatic nomination, his trainer confessed at Tamworth on Tuesday.
That it won’t be raced until October 27 means the Tamworth gelding might just have a little freshen up and lie in wait for the $40,000 metric mile.
Devilgate Road indicated he might be one of the up-and-coming young horses on the HNWRA scene when he ran away from his opponents at Tamworth in Tuesday’s $15,000 Shay Brennan Constructions Benchmark 65 Handicap (1400m).
He scored a length and three quarter win from Mark Hatch’s Northern Mark with Devilgate Road’s co-favourite Been Awakened a head away third.
Been Awakened had headed Devilgate Road in the straight and looked to have got a head or so in front when six-year-old Devilgate Road, who had done some hard work early outside race leader Elsalinda, regathered and produced the after-burners to jet clear.
It was an impressive performance.
“I don’t think I’ve had a horse to win two straight before,” a beaming co-owner Kel Penfold said after a sixth career win for his gelding.
Peter Graham was back on board after partnering him to victory on a Heavy 8 win at Tamworth last start.
“That was great,” Graham told trainer Craig Martin.
“He raced a little bit more dour today. I had to ride him a little bit different to the other day.”
Martin said he’d been working super since his recent Tamworth win.
“He’s also been in the pool most of the week.”
Devilgate Road has had four runs back from a good spell, finishing fifth first up to Michelle’s Gift at Tamworth and then second to the Scone mare before his pair of wins.
“If the Coona Cup was in a couple of weeks I’d throw him straight in there,” a delighted Martin said.
“But I might wait until then (October 27) and run him.”
The Sunday, October 12 $40,000 Coonamble Cup, also a 1600m Cup, might be a good race for the gelding, who ha had six wins in 28 runs.
n HNWRA racing attention now turns to Barraba’s once-a-year Cup meeting on saturday and Sunday’s TAB meeting at Muswellbrook’s Skellatar Park.
Fiels for both meetings will be out this morning while the next HNWRA meeting is the Friday, September 26 meeting at Scone at which the HNWRA premierships will be presented.
n The Cliff Bashford-traiend Emperor Of Oz received topweight for Sunday’s $15,000 Coalface MAgazine Carnival of Cups Benchmark 60 handicap (1000m) yesterday.
The gelding will carry 62kg if he runs in Sunday’s sprint at Skellatar Park.
COALFACE MAGAZINE B60 WEIGHTS
Sunday - 1000m - Muswellbrook
Assassinate (Benjamin Smith) 56.5, Autumn Nights (Rodney Northam) 55.5, Bridgeview Babe (Robert Davies) 54, Deceitful Don (Todd Howlett) 59, Emperor Of Oz (Cliff Bashford) 62, Grey Emperor (Bob Milligan) 58, Harlequin’s Gold (Stirling Osland) 59.5, Hunter Lad (Dianne Lumsden) 54, Ice Baa (Rodney Northam) 60, Le Jardin (Peter Eggleston) 54, Mercurian (Greg Bennett) 55, Morado (Paul Perry) 54, Our Iridium (Phillip Curry) 54.5, Planet Reality (Brett Partelle) 58, Quell (Paul Perry) 56.5, Spirited Addition (Garry Lunn) 57, Stella Venture (Gavin Andrews) 57.5, Sukraji (Brett Partelle) 59.5, Turning Grey (Craig Martin) 54.5, Urania Crown (Pat Farrell) 59.5, Zero Cash (Pat Farrell) 58.5.