FORMER multiple Cup-winning jockey Brady Cross has made a successful transition to training over the past few years, and he achieved a winning double at the bet365 Mildura meeting at Sandilong Park on Monday.
Cross achieved more than 500 wins in the saddle including a career-highlight Group 3 Carlyon Cup victory in 2004 with La Sirenuse.
His winning double on Monday with Dartboard and Marnoo has his winning strike rate at 14 per cent for the past 12 months.
The five-year-old Dartboard opened up his winning account at start No.20 to record a one-length victory in the Mildura & District Real Estate Maiden Plate.
Dartboard had recorded seven placings prior to his first win, so he was a deserving winner after a superb ride by jockey Jack Hill.
Dartboard was held up behind a wall of horses early in the home straight and the winning move came at the 200m mark, when Hill elected to move him to the inside of runners along the running rail, and he sprinted quickly for an impressive victory.
Dartboard was having his first run for Ballarat trainer Brady Cross at Mildura after transferring from the Northern Territory and he will be a handy acquisition for the stable.
“I had done a bit of work with him for Brady and I wondered why he was still a maiden, so it was no surprise to me that he was able to get the win,” jockey Jack Hill said.
The son of Shooting To Win was heavily backed to start the favourite in the race and he did not let his backers down with the fast-finishing victory.
“He will be better suited over more ground and he should win more races,” Hill said.
It was a successful day for Hill, as he also rode Marnoo to win for the Cross stable in the Mallee Cup November 5 BM58 Handicap.
“It was a good day and it is a pity that Mildura is so far away as I would love to ride here all the time,” he said.
Swan Hill jockey Harry Coffey continued his top form by riding three wins on the program including Tewkesbury in the Cup Day Packages on Sale BM58 Handicap for the Ballarat training partnership of Tony and Calvin McEvoy.
Tewkesbury was confidently ridden to victory and the win was well received by the stable, as he had been a perennial placegetter with 10 placings and one win prior to his success on Monday.
“He is a nice little horse who has been racing consistently and earning a cheque every time, but it was frustrating that he was finding it hard to win,” Tony McEvoy said.
“Hopefully he will go on with it now and can put a few wins together.”
The McEvoy stable has enjoyed plenty of success with previous trips to the district and it was another profitable visit to have Tewkesbury return onto the winning list.
“We have had a bit of success at Mildura and I enjoy going up there. You have to go where you need to for horses to run well,” McEvoy said.
Harry Coffey was also successful with Detoron for the Murray Bridge stable of Gary and Dean Alexander, and Immortal Weapon for Swan Hill trainer Heath Chalmers.
Immortal Weapon is a lightly raced three-year-old who opened up his winning account at his third race start in the Sunraysia Daily Maiden Plate.
“He has been a frustrating horse, but he is going the right way and he enjoyed a good trail during the race near the speed which helped him to get the win,” trainer Heath Chalmers said.
“He has come back a stronger horse this time in and he had a couple of solid jump outs, so he was ready to run a big race.”
South Australian-trained horses went to the fore at the meeting on Monday, as apart from Detoron the other border-hopping winners on the eight-race program were Joviale for trainer Stuart Padman, Kova (Shayne and Chelsea Cahill) and Lift The Bar (Sarah Rutten).
The next Mildura meeting will be on Melbourne Cup day, Tuesday, November 5, and bookings for the packages available can be made at the country.racing.com/mildura website.
