LIVELY Koara broke through for his Narrabri stable when Chris Shepherdson changed tactics mid-race to win the TAB Rewards Lordship Pace (1980m) at Tamworth Showground Paceway yesterday.
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Shepherdson was originally going to sit back in the field and give the Live or Die gelding a “soft” run.
However that changed early on and Shepherdson elected to go forward and sit outside race leader Enrichment.
Then he charged to a winning break at the 400m before holding off Laser Major in the straight for a 1.25m win.
It was the first win for Lively Koara since he was transferred from Sally Torrens last year.
“I changed plans. I was going to go back but went forward,” Shepherdson said.
“He’s not the toughest horse and we wanted the softest run possible.
“He does have a nice little turn of foot too and when I pulled the plugs down the back he responded.
“When he came to us though he’d want to lie down in the last 100m.”
Yesterday he looked like he could do that after taking a good lead into the final turn but boxed on well to snare a second career win and his first for the Shepherdson stable.
Lola Weidemann celebrated her return to race driving after a 12-week injury layoff by winning with Bulldust.
The Clifton (Queensland) driver negotiated an inside run to run down No Confession after Anthony Varga had pinched a good break on the Ernie Mabbott-trained gelding nearing the final turn.
However Bulldust overpowered the Tamworth gelding for a 4.25m win.
Weidemann then made it a running double when she overcame a disastrous start to win the Millenium Signs Lordship Pace (1980m) with Lonesome Mach.
“All the plans went out the window,” she told on-course interviewer Mark Lowe after race favourite, The Artful Dodger, had paced away slowly and then galloped. She was on the Artful Dodger’s back but managed to move around his gallop and re-start what became a winning run.
She then had better luck finding a run with the seven-year-old gelding who had finished finished second Darlyn Sea at his previous start at Tamworth.
“It worked out good,” she said.
“But he still had to finish off.”
She described him as a half- hearted horse but he was able to run down Pipers Challenge (Tom Ison) who had charged to the front in the short straight.
It then became a hat-trick day for the Weidemann stable when Lola led all the way to win the TAB App Pace (2360m) with Dreamy Nukes.
She stacked them up with two slow early 400m sectionals.
“He likes to lead,” she said.
Michael Formosa continued his good run with horses he trains for Tamworth’s Wendy and Maurice Mondolo when Mondo Sports won yesterday’s Freestyle Movement Centre 3YO Pace (1609m).
“He’s always shown ability,” Formosa said.
“But Maurice and Wendy’s horses are the stable stars at the moment.
“It’s always good to bring one up and win here for them.”
Formosa also won the last race of the program with Ultimate Trump while Craig Clegg might head toward a Tamworth Marathon after The Muse won the National Primary Games July 11/12 Pace (2360m).