VOODOO Lad’s win in yesterday’s $100,000 HNWRA Country Championship Heat (1400m) at Tamworth was more of a relief than anything.
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Not that he’d won his way into the April 4 $300,000 Country Championship Final at Randwick but that he’d fulfilled much of what Scone trainer Rod Northam thought, and knew, his three-year-old bay gelding was capable of.
“It is a relief,” he agreed.
“Nice to see him running to the line like that.
The son of I Am Invincible had been very beatable at his last two starts at Scone and Wyong after he had won the Inglis 2YO Challenge at Scone last May.
Even so he started a 2-1 race favourite in what had been a big build up to a heat many considered to be the best of all seven country heats.
“He’s a quality horse,” Northam said.
“And he will improve on this.
“We will be taking on some good horses at Randwick.”
Robert Thompson, who has combined with Northam to win a string of good races over the past five years, was delighted with Voodoo Lad.
“Terrific,” he said of his run.
“He wanted to over-race a little early but came back to me.”
He agreed with Northam the gelding, who started a 3.40 race favourite, would improve further after that run.
The two then combined to win the final race of the day with $3.80 race favourite Hot Vinni.
The Tamworth heat also became a one-two punch from Scone trainers with Paul Messara’s Tarangower weaving his way through the field to be beaten by a length and three quarters.
“He was very unlucky,” Messara said.
“Horses were stopping in front and the race didn’t pan out as well as we would have liked so he did well to finish off like that.
“But he’s got a start in the final in Sydney and will run well.”
Another Scone runner, three-year-old filly In A Wink also surged home from back in the field for third and miss a final berth by three quarters of a length.
Scone trainer Greg Bennett prepares In A Wink for Tamworth owner Errol Leicht.
The daughter of Tamworth based sire Ready As will now go to Muswellbrook for the March 29 $50,000 Wild Card, her owner said.
“Brenton (Avdulla) said he’d have to ride her for luck from that barrier (17) and see how we went,” Leicht said.
“We were never going to beat the winner but she ran a big race. We’ll go to Muswellbrook now for the Wild Card and Brenton said he’d ride her there for us too.
“If we draw an alley down there we won’t get beat and win a berth in the final at Randwick.”