TURF
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SCONE Race Club chairman Noel Leckie was the driving force behind fine-tuning the $100,000 Inglis Challenge for Two Year Olds and yesterday he shared in the spoils of victory when Voodoo Lad (James McDonald) scored a dominant win.
The win also gave trainer Rod Northam his third win in the race in the past five years.
He also won with Okane in 2010 and Tinszelda in 2012.
Leckie bred the son of I Am Invincible, sold him to Kevin Maloney from Segenhoe Stud then bought back a share.
“It’s a great thrill to win the race and having bred the winner makes it even better,” Leckie said.
“I always liked him and that is why I bought back a share.
“I think the Challenge is now in a position where it has become a race that attracts good horses.
“It was 1300 metres but we tweaked it around, got it back to 1100 metres and that is where it will stay.”
Voodoo Lad, jumping from the inside gate, was a little tardily away but quickly worked along the rail to share the lead. McDonald released his hold slightly and let Voodoo Lad stride to a half length lead then at the 200 metres let him go and he strode away to beat the heavily backed Canberra-trained Rom Baro (Blake Shinn) with Voodoo Lad’s stable mate Bulletproof Monk a distant third, a further six and a half lengths away.
Rom Baro, trained by Matthew Dale, was backed in from $100 to $13. McDonald was impressed with Voodoo Lad. “He is a nice horse, I think he has a big future,” McDonald said.
“He only does what he has to but he had something left in the tank on the line.”
Northam said he had always had a big opinion of Voodoo Lad.
“I have always thought he would make a good horse and this is the race we aimed him at,” Northam said.