Young Tamworth trainer Zach Hatch’s stable hasn’t had any trouble finding the line recently with Wedel heading to Tamworth on Monday looking for a third win in four starts after stablemate Desoto broke his maiden in the John Deere Series S maiden handicap at Quirindi on Saturday.
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Scorching conditions met the fields as the first of five races jumped on a day where the mercury tipped the 40 mark.
The aptly named Put ‘Em On Ice trained by Phillip Duffy had the bookies on the front foot, as the 16-1 Vad Bolozhinskyi ridden gelding pipped Sue Grills Favourite Talented miss by just over a head to take out the first.
Another appropriately named horse for the day couldn’t quite take the second, Chill’s Double getting beaten by Private Valentine as trainer and jockey Jane Clement and Mikaela Weir combined again to take out the Peel Valley Quirindi Maiden Plate by three lengths, before Jackson Murphy became the third apprentice to find the line on the day for Hatch.
The farrier who has training and horses in the genes has only had Desoto for ten days so the two and a half length win over the John Bannister trained My Chinnychinchin was a perfect start to his tenure for the Usher family owners.
“Sue Grills had him and got a pretty good third in Armidale a few starts back,” Hatch said.
“She stepped him up for a 1900m in Armidale (7th) last start so I have just stepped him back and let him rest all week.”
“That was a good run today.”
Desoto jumped near the rear of the pack and sat off the pace before Bolozhinskyi made his move on the turn.
“He jumped about third last but he just got in and traveled all the way,” Hatch said. He (Bolozhinskyi ) got him up to be running fourth on the turn then he just leveled up with the leaders and pulled away down the straight.”
Grills and Bannister both found the winners circle taking out the fourth and fifth respectively, Bolozhinskyi nailing a double after leading Bannister’s Burgundy Jack to the line in the last, following Darren Jones’ win on Grills’ Brave Maiden.
While Hatch will now wait and see how the bay gelding pulls up before planning his next move, the trainer will be back trackside on Monday for the TJC’s eight race meeting.
Wedel broke his maiden in Inverell in October before claiming a dead heat victory on Melbourne Cup day in Tamworth, followed by an unlucky sixth last start in Armidale as he heads into the Bath Stewart and Associates Plate in Tamworth.
“He is a real good chance for a third win,” Hatch said.
