The Scone-trained gelding went within a whisker of winning the $160,000 Ramornie Handicap (1200m).

I backed the chestnut sprinter three times and was there in the mounting yard when Robert Thomson jumped off and told trainer Rod Northam he wanted to check the photo finish.

"I thought he won," Robert told Rod as I looked on after the Ramornie finish. "Just missed," Rod told me with a rueful, "oh so close" type of look. "He's a lovely, honest little horse."

Smart Volatility won by a nose. Big Money has won 10 of his 25 starts with five seconds, the six-year-old now off for a spell, Rod said.

"He'll go to the paddock now."

Grafton Cup day was a cracker and threw up a huge upset when the five-year-old bay gelding, Red Nav, burst through inside some horses from the big stables to win the $160,000 Grafton Cup for his young Coffs Harbour trainer Sally Taylor.

She is just 23 and only got a licence in February. She had only started some 20-odd runners before Rednav's win in both the Grafton Cup Prelude and Grafton Cup. Sally said it was a fairytale.

"The best experience I've had," she told a throng of journalists after the win. "I'm so proud I've come so far in such a short time."

She was selling mobile phones as a sideline and said she would continue to do that while managing her small team.

"I'm still in shock, still shaking,” she admitted well after the Cup success.

It was such a magical ending for her.

Peter Graham rode Rednav in both the Prelude and the Cup and admitted he didn't think he was a chance in the Cup against all the big stables.

"But he travelled real good and we had a bit of luck in running," Peter said.

"He continued to find runs on the gelding until he overpowered his opposition.

He admitted that he "had to keep my composure" and let the "big, strong horse" do his thing.

The Grafton Cup was also his best result in a long career.

"It's a real fairytale," he said.

DAVID Head and his Tamworth veteran cricketers are preparing for a big State Carnival again this season.

They were to have a meeting at Diggers last night to further prepare for the big event.

One of their eminent vets, Mike Cashman, has also been busy too.

He is managing the North West regional cross country team at the State All Schools Cross Country at Eastern Creek tomorrow.

He's also organising a fun run in the Hunter on the weekend as well as organising a farewell and thankyou evening for myself at the Tamworth Jockey Club on Friday, July 29.

Starting at 6pm, it should be a lot of fun.

I have some bikini girls from Grafton lined up to jump out of cakes as well after securing their services at Grafton last week during another wonderful Clarence River Jockey Club July Carnival.

Dave Head has also been a very good organiser for his vets sporting organisation and he has told all his cronies they can expect a good night in the John Clift Stand.

"Newlo (that's me) has been a huge supporter of vets cricket (as well as all sports in Tamworth) and it would be great to see a good turnout of us vets," he told the vets in a regular e-mailed circular.

"For more details, contact Cashy on 6765 8610 or email him at spartan1s@optusnet.com.au"

Anyone can contact Mike but they must do so by 4pm Sunday so he can organise catering details.

The Tamworth Jockey Club has been kind enough to donate the venue as well. I thank them for their support over many years as well. They even named a race after me a few years ago after my back to back broken neck-triple bypass days.

Then I received another surprise on Saturday morning when I came in early to organise a busy weekend of sport.

Whilst loading the Tamworth Harness Racing Club fields for today's meeting at Tamworth Paceway I got to race five and was stopped in my tracks.

The THRC named the fifth, the Geoff Newling Appreciation Pace.

It was a nice little tingle to start the day.

I also had to laugh as well as there was a topical tip in it - number one horse in the 11-strong field is Ireadthenewstoday, driven by Josh Osborn for Tamworth trainer Dean Germon.

Kootingal trainer Craig Clegg, who once trained Ghost Writer for myself and few other clowns here at the NDL, has The Muse starting from the outside of the front row while I backed Atticus Finch (7) and Bien Hoa (11) when they both ran unplaced at the previous Tamworth meeting.

Plenty of food for thought anyway.

THIS is my last column. Enjoyed it all but after 30 years and a couple of months I've taken a redundancy and must now go and find a real job.

I thank everyone who has helped me over the years, all the coaches, presidents, publicity officers who have provided stories and results.

I have been lucky enough to work with some brilliant people here including the likes of Murray Kirkness, Lavinia Todd, Frazer Pearce and Sam Newsam. Throw in some loonies such as Murray Hartin and you had a recipe for "never a dull moment".

Hope you can all make the farewell thankyou at the TJC on Friday, July 29.

I'll be ready but unfortunately I have to work the next day and don't finish here until August 12 when I become a big redunderer.

UNFORTUNATELY there's no one named Wally in our great big group shot of golfers, pictured above, but certainly a few wallies when it came to getting it on the green, stopping the shanks and actually avoiding the water when this mob took to the Longyard course.

It was a great day out surpassed only by the extreme nature of the shots on show for this year's Carpetbaggers golf day in Tamworth.

The Northwest Carpetbaggers has been going for 21 years and has certainly come of age now.

The business golf day was the brainchild of the guys at Choices Flooring in Tamworth but now has become a “must-go-to” on the carpet calendar.

"Usually 60 to 70 turn up to play a three-person ambrose event and 90 or so for the presentation dinner on the Thursday night following golf," organising partner Shane Chillingworth said.

"The initial get together is on the Wednesday night of the last State of Origin night every year.

"About 20 per cent of those represent Queensland supporters but unfortunately that number is growing due to the dominance of the Maroons.

"The players are mainly retailers and executives from all of Australia's major manufacturing firms."

There were 20 different flooring stores represented and 30 suppliers with people from all over the northwest, the north coast and every capital city on the eastern seaboard.

"It's used as a get together for the flooring industry and it's recognised as the best in the industry," Choices partner Dave Russell said.

"We raised $2500 this year for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter but we've raised over $50,000 for local charities over the last 21 years."

The entertainment was a comedian/magician named Jack Black and he scored big with the crowd.

The winners on the day were the team of four of Andrew Smith, Debbie Drinkwater, Paul McCormack and Michael Roberts with a net 55.

"Debbie was the first woman to ever win the carpet challenge event," Chillingworth said.

Among the carpetbaggers were Moree father-and-son visitors Barry and Scott Croft, the retailers and layers who ran their own businesses at Inverell and Moree for some 25 years.

"Then they worked at Harvey Norman at Moree before Scott moved to Coffs Harbour to work for John Harris Carpet and Blinds," Chillingworth said.

"Barry has since retired but comes back to the golf day every year and has missed only one in that 21 years, when he hurt his back in 2010.”

The father-and-son combo teamed up with the state manager for Tuftmaster carpets, Les Stockdale, who lives and works in Sydney and is another carpetbagger who's been doing the rounds of the annual golf trip for nearly all of that time too.