EARLY Opener finished powerfully to break through for his Tamworth trainer and Molong owner in Monday’s $20,000 Goodwin Kenny CG&E Maiden Handicap (1200m) at Tamworth.
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On a brutally hot (37.8 degree) day at Tamworth the Cody Morgan-trained gelding motored home to beat Craig Martin’s Bullet kid by a long neck with Sally Torrens’ Defying Luck a half head away third.
Matthew McGuren rode Early Opener, a four-year-old bay or brown son of I Am Invincible.
He was having his fifth career start and second for Morgan after Molong butcher Mark Thomas bought him for $3500 from Bloodstock Auctions.
Steeped in racing tradition Thomas bought him basically on his form he showed when finishing seventh at Muswellbrook back in February.
“When we first bought him he still had a few problems, had a quarter crack in his hoof,” Thomas said after the win.
He also had some other mental issues to work on which McGuren touched on after unsaddling.
“He’s still learning,” McGuren said.
“He thinks about things too much. When he concentrates on galloping he’ll go all right.”
Morgan doesn’t have a high opinion of the gelding.
“He’s showed me nothing on the track,” he said of his regular work.
“But he ran a nice third for me first up and then won today. I’m probably being a bit hard on him though.”
Hundrez’n Thousanz could meanwhile be on a Queensland Cup trail after storming home from last to win Monday’s Tamworth City Toyota Benchmark 55 Handicap (2100m).
The Tess Wilkes-trained gelding came from the back of the field with a surging, winning run to snare a length win from Gavin Groth’s Blu Boy jag with Brian Jenkinson’s Packen a half length away third.
It was a dominant win for a son of Danerich who was coming off a last start third at Eagle Farm.
Matt McGuren was at his consummate best, allowing the Taree gelding to work his way into the race with a powerful finish.
“He travelled good. The fast pace suited him just nice,” McGuren said.
Wilkes said her seven-year-old, who has won seven of his 70 starts, did well travelling from the coast to race under extremely hot conditions.
“He travelled better than me. The 61kg was never going to be a problem either. He’s a nice big horse and there was no extra lead in the saddle,” he said.
The win in Tamworth was Wilkes’ first for a number of years.
“We brought Billy Whizz over here to run in the 2003 Tamworth Cup and ran second,” she said.
“That’s the last time I can remember being here.”