Denim Wynen kicked off the Central Coast Clubs NSW Race Day in the best possible way with a win for the locals.
Wynen’s consistent filly Emphatic Bel broke through for a well-deserved victory in the 1100m 3YO Maiden, having finished second over the same distance and track at her previous start on June 1.
The filly drifted in the betting to start at $8, with plenty of support for the minor placegetters Amberina & Magnatear ($2.20fav).
Serg Lisnyy gave Emphatic Bel the perfect ride going head-to-head with Amberina down the straight. He was able to lift her on the line earning plenty of praise from Wynen.
“That’s the way to ride her and Serg did it really well,” she said. “I was very confident coming into today and felt she would race well.”
John Cooper was the second of the local brigade to taste success, with Anansi causing an upset in the 21000m Class 1 & Maiden returning upwards of $100.
Cooper purchased the son of American Pharoah for just $22,000 in July last year and he had only been placed once for his new owner in his 10 previous starts.
But all was forgiven when the four-year-old put his best foot forward on his home track, collecting prizemoney of $21,000 for his efforts.
Cooper said he had been confident when Jay Ford was able to get him to the outside in the final stages.
“He’s pretty dour and if he gets held up, he loses his rhythm, and it all goes out the window. He got clear running today and got the job done.”
Anansi got the bob on the line over Kerry Parker’s short priced favourite Acceber, with Cooper admitting he had also backed the winner.
It was finally pay day for Mr Kennedy, the Fastnet Rock gelding breaking through in the 1100m 4YO & Up Maiden.
It had been a real journey for Richard Litt’s lightly raced six-year-old, who had an early preparation in Hong Kong before returning to Sydney.
He had been placed on five occasions leading into the Wyong race where he was able to put them away courtesy of a well rated, front running ride by Josh Parr.
Litt expects the $1.8m yearling will go on to win more races after taking confidence from the victory.
A plan by David Pfieffer and Jay Ford came to fruition when well-bred Pierro gelding Lysander broke through in the 1350m Maiden. The pair wanted to roll forward to overcome a wide barrier and Ford was able to do just that and gain a soft lead which he maintained throughout.
Pfieffer expects Lysander, a $180,000 Magic Millions yearling raced by Waratah Thoroughbreds, to get over more ground.
He was equally excited about the prospects of his smart Capitalist filly Angel Fund who brought up her second win from just three starts in the 1100m Class 1 with Jason Collett in the saddle.
The Capitalist filly was coming off a last start victory at Gosford when resuming over 1000m on March 25.
Pfieffer plans to keep Angel Fund over the shorter distances this time in and see where she takes then in following preparations.
Bokuden didn’t waste any time creating an impression for his new stable, the Deep Impact colt taking out the 1350m BM64 for Peter and Paul Snowden ridden by Sam Clipperton.
A Deep Impact colt, Bokuden joined the Snowden stable after spending his first preparation in Queensland where he was placed once on the Sunshine Coast from his three starts.
He has trialled twice for the Snowden’s before taking out a 1200m Maiden at Kembla over 1200m on May 23, making it back-to-back wins at Wyong.
Stable representative Colm McCullough said they had always had a good opinion of the colt, who they expected to get out in distance. Kristen Buchanan’s Big Happiness was the runner-up and looks primed for a win.
It was an excited Molly Bourke returned to scale in the 1600m BM64 after bringing up her first win for new boss John O’Shea.
Bourke, who still claims 3kg on the Provincial circuit, rode Irish import Awesome Wonder to her third career win from 14 starts.
Bourke was able to avoid the significant interference in the final stages by taking the four-year-old to the outside to win by almost a length.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunities the stable has given me,” Bourke said, “and so good to get a winner.”
Another apprentice Jett Stanley partnered Annabel Neasham’s Jamrock to victory in the 1600m Maiden.
The Pierro gelding posted the most impressive win of the day, blitzing his opposition by nearly five lengths.
Stewards adjourned an inquiry into the circumstances of a fall in the third race which saw Jeff Penza fall from Prize Tulip, suffering a broken collar bone.
Deanne Payna was suspended from June 26 to June 29 after pleading guilty to careless riding on Eve ‘N’ Ruby in the last, while fellow rider Keagan Latham pleaded guilty to the same charge in the same race on his mount Duke Of Gordon and suspended from June 25 to June 30.
*Pics Steve Hart Photography*
