SIX wins has secured visiting rider Brad Rawiller the ‘Tassie’ Pegus award for the leading jockey of the bet365 Mildura Cup Carnival, sealing it with a winning double at Sandilong Park on Saturday.
Rawiller achieved four wins on Friday, including the 100th Mildura Cup with Jimmy The Bear, and then continued his winning streak on Saturday with Rebel Exe and Putanothercoinin.
Rawiller had 12 rides over the two days for six wins, four seconds and one third placing.
“It was great to win the Cup with Jimmy The Bear, as I have ridden him a lot in track work and it was terrific to be part of the Mildura Cup Carnival and to ride six winners was tremendous,” Rawiller said.
The veteran jockey began his career in Victoria and then moved to Western Australia in 2020, before returning 12 months ago. He has quickly rediscovered winning form.
“I like to ride continuously and there were not enough meetings per week in the west, so I decided to return to Victoria,” he said.
“I was based at Flemington for 12 months and I moved a couple of months ago and I do track work for Patrick Payne when I can.
“I was only getting a small number of rides six months ago, but I have to thank my manager Rob Kingston as he is doing a terrific job in getting me more rides and I am making the most of my opportunities and I hope it continues.”
The first leg of Rawiller’s double was with Rebel Exe, who made a successful racetrack debut after leading throughout to win the Mildura & District Real Estate Maiden Plate.
Rebel Exe is from the Lindsey Smith stable at Linton and the three-year-old daughter of Dissident displayed plenty of fighting qualities after being headed in the home straight to record a narrow victory.
Rawiller’s next winner was with the South Australian galloper Putanothercoinin, who came with a fast finishing burst in the middle of the track to win the Vale Gregg Tuohy Handicap.
Putanothercoinin is trained at Morphettville by Richard and Chantelle Jolly, who also part-own the youngster after buying him off prominent Hong Kong-based bloodstock agents David Price and Jenny Chapman.
“David was going to put him on an online sale and wanted $7000 for him, so we decided we would buy him for that amount ourselves,” Richard Jolly said.
“It was his third run for us, so it was great to get the win and we have put him in the online sale going on at the moment which finishes Wednesday, and his win was good timing for it as he is now a last-start winner.”
The Jolly stable will now be hoping to continue their winning form at Morphettville next Saturday at the final metropolitan race meeting for the season.
They are currently tied for the lead in the SA training premiership and likely to have a big team competing as they try to defend their title.
The Bob and Kane Post stable at Mount Gambier made the long trek a successful one after winning the Vale Dr Neville Japp Handicap with Coraggio.
Corragio showed the benefit of recent racing and improved on his previous outing when third at Donald to bring up his sixth career win.
It was a good day for the Rawiller family as Corragio was given a top ride to win by Brad’s nephew Campbell.
Ballarat trainer Henry Dwyer had a big team competing over the two-day carnival and he was rewarded by Zuri Miss winning the Troy Blagus Electrical Maiden Plate by a 1.25-length margin.
Zuri Miss was ridden to victory by stable jockey Mitch Aitken to bring up her first career win at only her fourth race start.
Aitken has a liking for riding at the Mildura track as he is a previous winner of the ‘Tassie’ Pegus award.
The wintry breezy conditions over the two days of the Cup Carnival had an effect on the crowd numbers, but the patrons who braved the conditions were treated to exciting racing with several close finishes.
The next Mildura meeting will be held at Sandilong Park on Saturday, August 10.
