Keeping Pace: Prince Of Payne wins | Carnival of Cups Armidale

The gelding is trained at Tamworth by Tim Varga, who elected to engage reinsman Tom Ison to handle Prince Of Payne in the running of the Top Pub Uralla/Westend Laundromat Bill Barraclough and Kevin Ward Memorial.

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"Tim put me on and we got the win so I am pretty pleased about that," Ison said.

"The horse kept going forward at the start and he did have to do a bit of work in the early stages of the race but I kept him happy in running and he went well," he also said of the five-year-old Shoobees Place-Scoot On La Belle gelding.

Prince Of Payne had an all-the-way win after commencing from the four barrier. The mile rate was 1min 58.9sec for the 1609m journey.

"He has got a bit of gate speed and we used that to our advantage," Ison said.

Prince Of Payne, the $2.30 favourite, had a 8.4m win over Borderline (Blake Hughes), with Killara Insanity (Chris Shepherdson) two metres away in third place.

Tamworth trainer Stuart Glasby opened the meeting with the win of Redbank Olivia (Blake Hughes) in the TAB Long May We Play Pace.

Redbank Olivia had a 3.5m win over Stilton (Scotty Welsh-Brown), with A Good Ideal (Tom Ison) 5.9m away in third place.

It was the first leg of a driving double for Hughes, who then piloted the Lisa Thompson-trained Stealth Bomber to victory in the Tumby Park Ron Whitton Memorial.

Stealth Bomber had a 9.2m victory over Zoemagic (Brendan James). Mac Stubborn (Anthony Varga) was 5.8m way in third place. The mile rate was 1.57.2 for 1609m journey.

It was the first time McDonald had made the trip to Armidale, from her Fullerton Cove training complex.

Another new visitor to Armidale was 18-year-old Redcliffe trainer Amy Cargill, who headed to the meeting with Hit The Track.

Having gained her trainer's licence a month ago, Cargill produced her first winner when Hit The Tracks won the Uralla Vet Clinic/Bones Tyres Pace.

Ably driven by her partner, Zac Chappenden, Hit The Track had a 4.5m win over Commanche (Scotty Jon Welsh). Billboard Bonnie (Jamie Donovan) was a half a neck away in third place, with the mile rate 1.58.2 for the 1609m journey.

Ellalong trainer and reinsman Michael Formosa achieved his 800th training win at the meeting when Heavenly Holly won the Roberts and Morrow/St Kilda Hotel Armidale Gig Final.

Heavenly Holly had a 4.2m victory over My Kinda Justus (Blake Hughes), with Groovy Shannon (Anthony Varga) seven metres away in third place. The mile rate was 1.56.9.

"Heavenly Holly has always been good from day one," said Formosa, who convinced a few of his friends to purchase the filly.

'You can never be confident in these races. I was a long way in front in the heat last meeting and got run down on the line.

"Today, the race was run to suit and she had a good lead up into the race so I was confident."

Formosa picked up a driving double when he guided Soho Brandenburg to a win in the Ducats Earthmoving Armidale 3yo Golden Horse Shoe Pace, for Cessnock trainer Clayton Harmey.

Warwick trainer and reinsman Dayl March is a regular to the Armidale meetings and picked up a training and driving double with Artful Maid in the Dillon's Concrete Uralla/Jackson Quality Meats Armidale Pace.

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