After four consecutive misses in as many years local trainer Michael Hickmott finally secured himself a Murray Bridge Gold Cup victory with Maracourt on the weekend.
It was a massive result for the leading horseman, Hickmott’s horses filling the trifecta in the Listed feature with Alpine Flyer running second and Dubai Poet sticking on gamely for third.
The fourth runner from his stable Riverplate finished fifth.
“It’s a race that really eluded me,’’ Hickmott said.
“He’s a ripper this horse, he’s a credit to what we’re doing at the farm.
“I think that was his 14th run for the prep, he’s been in work for almost a year, he’s a credit to us,’’ he said.
It was a big day for Hickmott, he won a heat of the Gytrash Series with Fancify before Motorace made it successive city wins in the final race on a bumper 10-race card.
Manoel Nunes continued his love for Murray Bridge with a second double at just his second race meeting in SA, winning the Cup on Maracourt and also the Moorundi Classic, the opening two-year-old race of the season for Tony and Calvin McEvoy with Hiatus winning impressively.
Hickmott’s big weekend started at Morphettville on Friday afternoon when Swycho broke his maiden impressively, the first leg of a riding double for Todd Pannell.
Aaron Bain and Ned Taylor took training honours with a double with Nullify and Thermodynamic successful while David Jolly’s Taino Rocket landed some big bets to beat a heavily backed Thunder Shoc.
Apprentice Monika Wolanin had her first riding double at Port Lincoln on Sunday, sharing riding honours with Teagan Voorham also scored herself a winning double.
It was also a big weekend over the border for SA trainers claiming two features at Caulfield on Guineas Day.
Exciting three-year-old Kuroyanagi winning early in the day before Richard and Chantelle Jolly’s smart mare Aviatress scored a dominant win in the Group 3 Northwood Plume Stakes.
“I always thought she was good enough,’’ Jolly said.
“She’s been a progressive mare her whole live, she should have won a Stakes race by now, she’s been hampered by bad barriers.
“We could go to the well once more Cup week, we’ve got some nice races in Adelaide, obviously the Sangster and mare’s races, she’s going to fall into them well,’’ he said.
