Double Five wins the fifth at Tamworth on Tuesday to give the Ollertons a double for the day.
ROUGH Cuts (8-1) debuted in brilliant fashion for Tom Ollerton at Tamworth on Tuesday as the Scone trainer celebrated a rare double.
The five-year-old gelding, having his 10th race start but first for his Scone owner/trainer, stormed home to beat race favourite, Spirit In The Night, by a long neck with Graham Payne’s Hirafu a length and three quarters away third. Four races later and Double Five won the Yellowglen Class 2 Handicap (1000m).
Rough Cuts started the day impressively for Ollerton while Double Five, who had been trained by his son, Rod, at Newcastle completed the day well and gave the veteran trainer a 100 per cent stable return.
They are his only horses in work!
It was also apprentice Shane Arnold’s first winner at Tamworth.
Originally from Sydney he moved to Queensland when he was 11.
The 20-year-old second-year apprentice came south with Troy Hall when Hall relocated to Muswellbrook earlier this year.
“It was my third trip to Tamworth,” Arnold said after Double Five’s win.
“My first winner here. I was able to hold a good spot on him and he won very easy.”
Rough Cuts also won impressively and in an extra quick 56.39secs.
“He ran home like Black Caviar,” jockey Robert Thompson told Ollerton.
“I can’t believe it,” Tom Ollerton said.
“He’s been working brilliantly. The way he’d been working I thought he was good enough to win a race.”
He lived up to that assessment easily, surging home almost untouched by his leading jockey Robert Thompson.
Tom Ollerton is a veteran of the race track and has just Rough Cuts and Double Five in work.
“Bought him to muck around with,” Ollerton admitted.
“Still cart them around but have a few in work to keep fit. Ride all my own work.
“Can’t believe the time though (56.39secs).
“Don’t even know if Robert hit him (with the whip). He said he missed the start a little.”
Robert Thompson then made it a running double and his 12th win of the new HNWRA season when Coco Miss won the Carlton Mid F&M Maiden Handicap (1000m).
The daughter of Lonhro stopped the clock at 57.87secs in a short neck win over Mark Mason’s Hot Rhythm.
“She did everything right,” her trainer Greg Bennett said of the three-year-old filly.
“She found the line well and is a filly of the future. There will be better races for her.”
Bennett trains the filly for Sydney publican Peter Wynn.
“He owns a few pubs and wine bars,” Bennett said of a “new” owner.