LAST season’s title award winners in trainer Patrick Payne and jockey Brad Rawiller continued their affinity with the bet365 Mildura track to continue their winning form at Sandilong Park on Saturday.
Payne followed on from his Mildura Cup success last month with Jimmy The Bear to take out the opening event, the Mallee Big Screen Maiden Plate, with the impressive winner Zebedee Springs.
Zebedee Springs is a lightly raced five-year-old who had only her fifth race start on Saturday. Payne had the mare ready to record a first-up win after giving her a handful of trials and jump-outs.
The smart 1.75-length win was the perfect return to race riding for Swan Hill jockey Harry Coffey, who was back after a near two-month lay-off due to a scaphoid fracture in his wrist.
Zebedee Springs started her racing career with SA trainer David Jolly and after having one unplaced run at Morphettville was then sent to the Payne stable. She has been a handy acquisition with a win and two placings from four Victorian starts.
Coffey was rapt to record a win at his first ride back.
“I looked forward to returning even though I did enjoy my time off during this time of the year,” he said.
“I was doing track work (on Friday) and then I remembered that I was riding at Mildura the next day so it was great to get back into it.
“The muscles are still a bit stiff, but they will get better with continuous race riding.”
Melbourne jockey Rawiller followed on from his six victories during the Mildura Cup Carnival last month to ride Onehundred Percent to win the Patrick Payne Trainer of the Year 2023/24 Handicap.
Onehundred Percent made the long trek worthwhile for Pakenham trainer Andrew Homann, who made the correct decision in deciding not to run at Morphettville in Adelaide on Saturday and instead raced him at the Mildura meeting.
Benalla-based jockey Jake Duffy took the honours at the meeting with a winning double when he partnered Ocean Mocean to record her first win for the Cranbourne training partnership of Lloyd Kennewell and Lucy Yeomans, as well as Nama Dude for Ballarat trainer Daniel Kelly.
Duffy rides track work regularly at Wangaratta and also tries to help out at Lindsay Park in Euroa for the Ben, JD and Will Hayes stable. He has enjoyed a lot of success on the country circuit with 586 career wins.
Duffy has a strong family background in the horse racing industry as his father Steven has been a long-time successful harness trainer and driver, while brother Ryan is also making a name for himself as a harness racing driver.
The Linton-based stable of Kylie and Steven Vella, who are enjoying the warmer conditions in Mildura this month, were successful in getting their seven-year-old Angelone to return onto the winning list in the bet365 Handicap.
Angelone had not won since recording a debut victory at the Mildura track in October 2022, but he was well ridden by Steven Vella to record a narrow, but thrilling win on Saturday. He should continue to race well while campaigning in Mildura now that he has regained confidence.
The next bet365 Mildura meeting to be held at Sandilong Park will be on Monday, August 26.
