Local trainers Austy Coffey and Nathan Hobson dominated Monday’s thoroughbred race meeting at Swan Hill, training three winners each on the nine race card.
Coffey opened affairs by training the trifecta in the first race, the 975 metre Murray Downs Golf & Country Club Maiden, with the well named Poppy’s Orse proving too strong for Coffey’s other pair Low Level Flying and Total Crafty.
Poppy’s Horse started at $5.00 after running six placings in his first eight starts.
When interviewed on Racing.com after his first winner, Coffey told punters to back his second runner Tiny Rebel and the Rebel Raider three-year-old duly saluted at odds of $7.50 in the 1200 metre bet365 Maiden Plate.
Nathan Hobson’s first winner Hulme came in race five – the Phil Fitzsimmons benchmark 58 handicap over 1600 metres.
Hulme, ridden by claiming apprentice Tatum Bull, had 1.7 lengths to spare on the line from Hobson’s other runner in the race Cape Richards.
Nova Way was successful for Austy Coffey in race six, the Barry Killeen Memorial benchmark 58 over 1600 metres, ridden by Lindsay Park apprentice William Price giving the up and coming jockey a treble for the day.
Hobson was successful in the last two races of the day with Midnight Cowboy and Soweto Haze.
The meeting was held under strict Racing Victoria protocols with no crowd and all licensed participants on course observing supervised self distancing rules.
