DESERT Marshal continued his successful preparation when the Jane Clement-trained gelding claimed Thursday's $30,000 JT Fossey Tamworth Country Music Cup Showcase Handicap (1200m).
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The Tamworth gelding, a seven-year-old son of Lope De Vega, snared a short neck win from Michelle Fleming's Manabar with Cody Morgan's Ligulate a nose away third. Mel O'Gorman's Beauty Best was a fraction away fourth in a blanket finish to the feature race.
For Clement the win was another piece of great excitement.
"Brilliant," she said of a gelding who finished a gallant third to Scrabble in the recent Inverell Cup.
"He ran a monster of a race (in the Inverell Cup) up there. The 1400 is not his go so I freshened him up for the 1200m."
She said the gelding has now won three races this preparation.
Mikayla Weir has ridden him in all three wins this time in, at Moree, Gunnedah and now Tamworth.
"He used to do a lot wrong in his races," Weir said.
"But Jane put the tongue tie on him and that's done the trick."
Desert Marshal has now won nine of his 58 starts with 20 placings and more than $186,000 in prizemoney.
"There's still more to come," Weir said.
The feature race was pushed back a race after Tamworth was inundated by a massive dust storm around 3.30pm which blanketed the course and cloaked it into darkness.
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On track, Sky Channel broadcaster Gary Harley was heard to quip "there's no way we could even drive out of here, we might have to camp here tonight." The storm stopped the meeting for a half hour or so before it cleared away and stewards were able to restart it.
Ian Cook had earlier returned to the winners list with Lord Magnussen.
The Guyra trainer celebrated a good win with a four-year-old gelding who was having his second start for Cook after transferring in from Victoria.
"He had his first run for me at Inverell (Cup day)," Cook said.
"Got beaten four lengths but was a good run.
"He is a nice horse and might turn out to be okay.
"Once he gets his head around it he might make a good horse."
Lord Magnussen came with a strong rush down the middle of the track to win the $30,000 JT Fossey Tamworth MG Maiden Plate (1400m) from Paul Messara's Total Recall with Melissa Dennett's Another Arli third.
Armidale trainer Stirling Osland also enjoyed success with Heaven's High taking out the final race of the day the JT Fossey $50,000 Gold Bobs Class 3 Showcase Handicap (1000m).
Only an emergency for the race, the mare burst down the middle of the track to beat home Gwenda Markwell's I am Magnificent by a head.
