"She dug deep when she had to" was how reinsman Dan Morgan summed up the win of Sunny Town in the opening race at Tamworth Paceway on Thursday afternoon.
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The Robin Hosking Snr-trained filly had her first career win, in race start seven, in taking out the HRNSW Guaranteed Two-Year-Old Pace.
"She obviously does everything right - that was my first drive behind her - and her race manners are unbelievable," Morgan said.
Sunny Town (Sunshine Beach-Left Town) and Tamworth-based Rippin Good Feelin were locked together racing down the home straight on the final occasion to the winning post.
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"I was sitting in on the leader's back (Shoobees Rose) and let her do her own thing," Morgan said. "She settled nice and comfortable into the race and I hooked her out at the 400 [metre mark] and she was doing it pretty easy up the straight."
Sunny Town held on for a half-head win over the Rippin Good Feelin - owned, trained and driven by Jamie Donovan - with Moonbi pacer Shoobee's Rose, from the Dean Chapple stables, 23 metres away in third place.
"She is a very well-mannered filly. We say she has been here before - she did everything right," Hosking said of Sunny Town.
Hosking is no stranger to the Tamworth Paceway, having produced several winners over the years - starting with Light Gypsy.
"We had a very good mare years ago called Light Gypsy and I had my first drive behind her here at Tamworth for my first win," Hosking said.
"I wasn't a real good driver and I drove my first four winners behind her."
Hosking now leaves the driving to others including his granddaughter Lily Hosking, who has been sidelined with injury.
Meanwhile,Tamworth owner and trainer Ken Natty watched trackside as reinswoman Sarah Rushbrook placed Quinzel in the winner's circle for the first time since January 2018.
They took out race three, the Hygain Micrspeed Pace.
"I have been very lucky in taking drives for Kenny. He does a wonderful job with his horses," Rushbrook said.
"The mare has caused him a lot of headaches so it is wonderful to see her produce a winner for Kenny.
"She has been working a lot better for Ken lately - working the house down actually - and she finished the race off nice today."
Quinzel, a half-sister of Sunny Town, notched a third career win in her 22nd race.
Rushbrook elected to take the lead 1200 metres out, in the 1609m event, and beat Motu Zest For Life (Dean Chapple) by 1.7m, with Private Sector (Blake Hughes) four metres away in third place.
