Quirindi races: Mark Mason-trained Knights Raptor salutes in TAB Maiden Plate

Jockey Luke Rolls' decision to take the widest running to try and find the better ground on the Heavy 9 track, paid off as the three-year old took out the TAB Maiden Plate (1100m) by half-length from the William Freedman-trained Chocolate Kisses.

The third emergency for the race, it was only Knight Raptors' third start and followed a ninth at Tamworth on May 17 and a fifth at the June 8 Tamworth meeting.

READ ALSO:

"Robert Thompson rode him at Tamworth the other day and Robert come back and said if this horse can improve from this run to his next run like has from his first to the second, he'll be hard to beat next start," Mason told Thoroughbred Central post-race.

Paying $21 for the win, he said he "has been pretty green" and has taken "a bit of learning".

"We'll have a yarn to the owners and see what they want to do now," Mason said.

"Maybe he might go for a bit of a break, then again if he likes wet tracks it might be a good time to have him in."

It was a race-to-race double for Tamworth trainers with Cody Morgan's Mischief Managed too strong in the John Deere PVM Benchmark 66 Handicap (1000m).

In what was one of the most impressive wins of the day, the three-year old filly coasted to a three-and-a-half length win in what was her first race start since January 28.

"She went really well today, Casey (Waddell) rode her brilliantly so very happy," Morgan's partner Lucy Goodsell told Thoroughbred Central.

A winner at Scone first-up her last preparation, and at Gunnedah, Goodsell said Mischief Managed has "taken a little bit longer to get up this time just with the weather and all that" but indicated a 'highway' (TAB Highway) - around the 1000-1100- is in the plans.

Waddell said the filly certainly has more to give.

"I just eased her over the last bit because she was just doing it too easy," she said.

Earlier Mikayla Weir had ridden the first three winners of the meeting.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: