SUE Grills joined Darren Jones at the top of the Picone Family Summer Stars Bonus leader board after an overdue double at Deepwater last Saturday.
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Tomorrow the Tamworth-based trainer and jockey combine to chase more success at Grafton.
Grills won two races at Deepwater last Saturday, including the Cup with Border Flight, and that enabled her to overtake Glen Innes-based trainer Paddy Cunningham in the special Picone Family Summer Stars Bonus series initiated by the Inverell Jockey Club.
That Summer series finishes at Bingara’s Cup meeting next Saturday (January 31).
“The Bingara Cup has double points,” Inverell vice-president Mike Witherdin said.
“Border Flight was the big mover with a Cup win at Deepwater and Sue Grills’s double saw her pass Paddy.”
Darren Jones has a stranglehold on the jockeys’ bonus, worth $500, but Grills leads Cunningham by just three points while Border Flight has joined Glen Innes Cup winner Carry Me Gee Gee and Real Blonde (which ran a great third at Scone on Thursday) at the top of the horse table.
Grills had been frustrated with a lack of winners in the past few months so the Deepwater double was something of a relief.
Tomorrow she is hoping for more success when Jonathan and Couperin fly her stable’s flag at Grafton.
Jonathan is a promising horse on the way up after running a good second at Inverell on Cup day.
Still green, he is a big strong horse who could develop into a stable star.
Little Couperin, a flashing chestnut with a big white blaze and ticker to match, was also second at Inverell on Cup day coming from back in the field to beat all bar Slippery Eel.
He has been a wonderfully consistent gelding for Grills, winning three times and running luckless placings in the Armidale and Coonamble Cups.
He will have Jones back on top tomorrow, going from barrier nine but carrying the huge leveller of 61kgs.
Grills said Couperin was well and had been working well since Inverell as she looks towards a 1600m Quirindi Cup (Feb 19) and 1900m Armidale Cup (March 14) trail with the six-year-old gelding son of Ne Coupez Pas chasing a sixth career win at start number 41.