The Inverell-trainers’ only runner in the meeting, the four-year old mare was a one-and-a-quarter length winner over Going Grey in the Stewart’s Grain Trading Class 1 Handicap (1010m).

“It was a good win and good for the blokes (owners),” Berger said.

“They’ve been pretty patient.” 

“There’s been six meetings that she’s been supposed to go to that have been washed out.” 

Consequently she hadn’t had a run for nine weeks – since the last Inverell meeting.

Showing some pretty good pace, jockey Jackson Murphy, as per the plan, took her pretty well straight to the front.

“The other race she won, she led,” Berger said.

“She hasn’t really had a choice to lead since.” 

He is also a part-owner of the horse, along with Phil Lisle and Rod Stahlhult, and former Farrer and North Tamworth league star Jake Hawkins.

“It was his first start with her and his first winner, so he was pretty thrilled with that,” he said.

Berger has had her for around 12 months.

“She’s got two wins and a third from seven, so she’s doing a good job,” Berger said.

He’ll said she’ll “probably just poke around here”. There is another meeting in Inverell in a month.

Mark de Montfort meanwhile has brought horses up from his Warwick Farm base to the last two Muswellbrook race meetings and while not exactly going home with his tail between his legs, certainly with little to sing about.

“Quite frustrating really,” was how de Montfort put it. He is back with two of those horses for Tuesday’s meeting hoping that his luck on this track might finally change.

He started two horses, Ready Set Sing and Biscuit, at the meeting on September 23 and both ran third and Messiah’s Jewel and Pure Reflection at the meeting on October 3 to finish second with Messiah’s Jewel while the other horse ran 10th.

Ready Set Sing is returning for the Horsepower Benchmark 65 (1280m) and Messiah’s Jewel for the Adelaide @ Coolmore Benchmark 55 (1450m).

Rachael Murray will ride both horses.

“They both ran nice races the last time we were there and while they are no super stars I think they can both be competitive again,” de Montfort said.

“These days you have to be prepared to travel to find the right races for your horses and so far the opposition at Muswellbrook has been just that bit too good for us. The only reason they won’t go is if the weather changes and they get any rain.”

“