Wyong trainers dominated their home meeting on Saturday winning five of the eight races.
Tracey Bartley led the way with a double while Damien Lane, Rodney Bailey and Louise Munce had one winner each.
Grant Buckley, the Sydney jockey who is always well supported by Wyong trainers, rode three of those winners.
Bartley won successive races, the Drew Chivas Memorial Class One (1600m) with Joigny and the Suzy McLelland Class Two (1350m) with Moana Jewel.
Both horses are now headed for city races next start, Joigny to Brisbane and Moana Jewel to Canterbury.
“There is a nice race for three-year-olds over 1800 metres in Brisbane in two weeks-time time that will suit Joigny,” Bartley said.
“Then she can go for a spell and should come back next time a nice staying mare.”
At her previous start Joigny ran a close second to Whiteley at Scone and Whiteley went on to win a Benchmark 66 at Wellington.
“Scone turned out to be a great form race,” Bartley said.
“She was wearing blinkers for the first time at Scone and I probably gave her a little bit too much work and she was a bit dour.
“I eased right back on her for this race and she will have an easy time leading up to the Brisbane race.”
Joigny raced away from the favourite Fast Train in the straight to win by almost three lengths to give Buckley the second of his three winners.
Earlier he won the first race for Lane and completed the program by winning the last for Munce.
Moana Jewel was a pick-up ride for Louise Day after Stacey Metcalfe was injured the day before in a fall at Scone.
“Louise rode her perfectly, she waited until the corner before making her move,” Bartley said.
The mare went on to win by two and a quarter-lengths from the favourite My Demetra.
Moana Jewel was bought in New Zealand and trained at Cranbourne to win a Pakenham maiden before being switched to John O’Shea at Randwick.
She had two trials for him before going to Bartley.
“She came to me in great condition from John’s and we have built on that,” Bartley said.
“It’s great to win a double anywhere but even better on your home track.”
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Owner/breeder and former mayor of Port Stephens, Bruce Mackenzie loves the Dundeel breed and became even more enthusiastic about the stallion after one of his sons, Oakfield Target, dominated the Rollators Australia Maiden (1100m).
“I have another two at home by Dundeel out of the same mare, the mare is carrying one in her belly and she will go back to him this spring,” Mackenzie said.
The Damien Lane trained Oakfield Target, the first of Buckley’s treble, dominated the race from the outset.
He started the $2 favourite, pushed through along the rail to take the lead soon after the start, was given a breather mid-race then Buckley released the brakes passing the 600 metres.
The horse bounded away in the straight to win by five and a quarter-lengths with something in hand.
“He still has to learn to settle down but I think he is going to get further,” Lane said.
“Next preparation I hope he can get 1600 metres.”
Mackenzie is sure of it.
“His dam, Oakfield Beauty, won over 1400 metres at Rosehill,” he said.
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A four-day back-up proved the right move when the Rodney Bailey trained Lohan Princess brought off something of an upset by breaking out of maiden class at her 24th start to win the Clean N Care Maiden (2100m).
Lohan Princess, ridden by Rachael Murray, came from last to poke up along the inside early then switched to the outside to sustain a long run.
“It wasn’t a pretty ride but we got there and she was strong on the line,” Murray said.
Murray had ridden Lohan Princess at her three previous starts for a fourth at Wyong and a third and a fifth at Newcastle.
That last start fifth was last Tuesday.
“I have been running her at Newcastle because of the long straight,” Bailey said.
“She pulled up well and I thought the small field here might suit her and decided she might as well go around.
“She should have won her maiden well before now but her racing pattern is against her because she gets so far back early.”
While Lohan Princess started at $8.50 the Anthony Cummings trained Classic Gaming started the $1.65 favourite but was in trouble before the turn and only battled on to run third.
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Munce has always believed that Little Steiny was up to provincial class and after three placings in that grade from his last five starts he finally broke through to prove her right in winning the Kait And Bull Birthday Bash Class Two (1200m).
His career has been a mixture of provincial and country racing with a maiden win at Gosford and a class two win at Muswellbrook.
“We will be sticking to the provincials from now on because he would get too much weight in the country,” Munce said.
“The Wyong trainers have had a fabulous day and it is great to be part of it.
“It is always nice to win on your home track.”
There was a lot of merit in the win.
The horse was always wide and after hitting the lead in the straight fought on to hold off Polhampton and win in a tight photo finish.
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James Cummings and Godolphin had to survive a lengthy protest hearing before the heavily backed Whispered (Keagan Latham) was declared the winner of the Citrus Clean Two-Year-Old Maiden (1350m).
Travis Wolfgram, who rode the Peter and Paul Snowden trained Oribella, lodged a protest alleging interference in the last 100 metres when Whispered bored out several horses.
The pair hit the line locked together with Whispered winning by a nose.
Despite Whispered moving out sharply the pair did not appear to touch.
Whispered, having only his second start after a fourth at Kembla Grange, was backed in from $7 to start the $3.20 favourite.
“The stable had always had an opinion of this colt but as you can see, he is still a baby and has a lot to learn,” spokesperson, Gillian Thompson, said.
However, Cummings and Godolphin failed in a photo finish in the following race when the Joe Pride trained Tereka (Andrew Gibbons) arrived late to win the M and K Eklund Transport Maiden (1350m).
Tereka grabbed the lead on the line to win by a nose from Cummings trained Parveen (Latham) which started the odds-on favourite.
Pride’s racing manager, Hayley Blythedevlin-Rorison, said it was unfortunate the filly had not won her maiden two starts back when she resumed for a fourth at Warwick Farm.
“She lost a plate and it upset her,” she said.
“She came back from a spell a much stronger filly and it is nice to get the maiden out of the way.”
Gibbons was impressed with the win.
“She is a nice horse but I think she will be even better on a bigger track,” Gibbons said.
Wolfgram waited until much later in the day to land a winner when the Craig Carmody trained Zeta’s Rocket won the second last race, the Ryan’s Metal Roofing Class One (1000m).
“The horse was previously trained by Cameron Crocket at Mudgee but the owners believed he was a provincial class horse and sent him to me,” Carmody said.
“The horse arrived in great order and while he is no world beater, he is an honest horse.
“Travis rode him exactly as I asked.”
Zeta’s Rocket, having his third start from a spell, was well backed from $13 to $9 and never left the issue in doubt, winning by one and a half lengths.
