SUE Grills is on a roll and hopes to continue that at Moree and Tamworth over the next week.
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The Tanworth-based trainer – who snared a double at last week’s Coonabarabran Cup meeting, won a metro race at Randwick with Fickle Folly and then backed up to win at Tamworth on Monday with Not A Princess – will have three runners at Friday’s Moree Race Club meeting as well as starters at Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup day meeting at Tamworth.
While Fickle Folly’s win at Randwick was thrilling, the effort by Not A Princess was also eye-catching.
The daughter of Not A Single Doubt raced fiercely early on for Korean apprentice Hyosik Lee but then settled nicely as she cruised to the lead before the turn and then raced away to a two length victory in the $20,000 Advanced Inland Security F&M Maiden Plate (1200m).
The four-year-old mare had had her first run for Grills at Tamworth on October 15 when a gritty and good second to Royal Villa.
She franked that form by racing clear in the final 200m for her first win for owner David Bentata in six starts.
Grills believes the mare has more improvement and a longer journey in store for her. She also has a share in the mare with her son Todd and sister Julie McGrath. Also in the syndicate leasing the mare are Tamworth tiler Troy Carroll and professional tennis coach Mitch Power.
They were also in Carmel, who won at Moree and ran a couple of placings for them.
“She was my first horse,” Power confirmed of Carmel before having a winner’s picture taken with Not A Princess in the saddling enclosure on Monday.
“She won at Moree and ran a second here at Tamworth for us. She looked like being pretty good but just couldn’t live up to it.”
Carmel might have been his first horse but her demise as a racing proposition didn’t dampen his enthusiasm.
It had the opposite effect.
“I got the itch,” he said.
“It was great fun.”
And this is even better.
Carroll agreed.
“She was impressive,” he said.
“She’s done well, beautiful, very happy. Good to be in her with Mitch and with Sue again.”
Grills reckons Not A Princess has plenty of upside.
“That was very good,” she said of the Not A Princess win.
“I think she might get a bit further too on that.”
She will truck four runners to Moree on Friday for their TAB meeting and has another three lined up for Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup day meeting on the Tamworth B Grass.
One of her Moree runners, Drawn To You, will also back up (at this stage) at Tamworth on Tuesday.
“It has been a very good week or so,” Grills said.
“Tamworth’s Melbourne Cup day meeting is always a good day, crowd wise.”
Sue is currently second on the Hunter and North West Racing Association’s trainers premiership with eight wins and trails Paul Perry by two wins.
2017-18 HUNTER & NORTH WEST RACING ASSOCIATION PREMIERSHIPS
Unofficial as at Tuesday, October 31 (supplied by Geoff Newling).
TRAINERS: 10 Paul Perry, 8 Sue Grills, 7 Kris Lees, 5 Brett Cavanough, Melissa Dennett, Les Tilley, 4 Stephen Jones, Todd Howlett, Paul Messara, 3 Jason Deamer, Adam Duggan, Allan Kehoe, Benjamin Smith.
JOCKEYS: 11 Josh Adams, 10 Grant Buckley, 9 Robert Thompson, 7 Greg Ryan, Rachael Murray, Jodi Worley, 6 Aaron Bullock, 5 Andrew Gibbons, Peter Graham, Josh Oliver, 4 Mitchell Bell, Luke Cumberland, Paul King, Ben Looker, Serg Lisnyy, Christian Reith, Travis Wolfgram.
APPRENTICES: 6 Cejay Graham, 4 Chloe Baker, 2 Robbie Dolan, Jamie Gibbons, Chelsea Ings, Hyosik Lee, Jackson Murphy, 1 Nyssa Burrells, Louise Day, Clayton Gallagher, Blaike McDougall, Claire Nutman, Jean Van Overmeire, Olivia Pickering, Mikayla Weir, Chris Williams.