BLINKIN Fast returned to the winners circle with consummate ease when the six-year-old gelding won Saturday's $22,000 Mannion Drilling Christmas Cup (1600m) at Gunnedah.
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The Sue Grills-trained gelding, a son of Smart Missile, received the best and simplest of Greg Ryan's riding skills to race away to a three-and-a-quarter-length win from Peter Sinclair's Bush Battler Cup winner Danigree.
Stirling Osland's Radiant Choice was a length away third.
Blinkin Fast was coming off a narrow loss in the Werris Creek Cup at Quirindi when beaten an eyebrow by Sinclair's Moree Dreaming.
On Saturday he turned the tables on the Sinclair stables to register a sixth career success and his third for a new syndicate of owners who bought in after the family of the late Errol French opted to sell.
The six-year old won first up at Dubbo and then Scone for his new syndicate which includes Julie Chapple, wife of prominent pacing trainer Dean Chapple, Wayne and Brett Jarrett (prominent Dungowan Cowboy backrower) and Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service support group manager Kim Newling.
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He now has $108,655 in prizemoney from 31 starts.Dean Chapple was strapping the strapping gelding too and celebrated another little milestone when the $11,200 prizemoney took Blinkin Fast, who is nicknamed Errol after his late owner, through the $100,000 prizemoney barrier.
Ryan reckoned the win "nice" and thought it was made so much easier by the fact Tennessee Man led and put plenty of pace into the race.
"Great to have him rolling forward like that," Ryan told stable connections after the win.
"Just a nice tempo for him and he got into a lovely rhythm."
Turning for home Ryan pulled him out and he dashed to an easy win.
"Very happy with that," said Andy Grills, son of trainer Sue and also a part owner with his brother Todd, mother, and aunt Julie McGrath.
"He was up in weight, up in distance but a little down in class. He done it well."
While Blinkin Fast flew the stable flag strongly at Gunnedah, stablemate Burning Crown was in Sydney with Sue tackling the $125,000 Schweppes Handicap (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens.
Andy said, with a huge grin, he might just ring his mum and tell her "the pressure is on now mum" to match Blinkin Fast's success in a family sledge.
Burning Crown couldn't, the $1.85 favourite running a disappointing ninth and finishing over sixth lengths behind winner, David Pfieffer's The Party Girl.
Fellow Tamworth trainer Cody Morgan did fare better with Rostam second in the TAB Highway Handicap (1800m).
