The Group 1 TAB regional championships have proven to be a success and some great stories have come out of the series - along with some thrilling achievements produced in the finals.
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Newcastle hosted the $100,000 Hunter final last Saturday night and congratulations to Cessnock trainer Clayton Harmey, who trained his first Group 1 winner, in Kanye Crusader, who led all the way - driven by 18-year-old Jack Callaghan.
With Kanye Crusader racing with a broken hopple, Callaghan continued to lead the field throughout the race, with the four-year-old Rock N Roll Heaven-Khloe gelding racing strong over the concluding stages to have a half-neck win over the Lisa McDonald-trained Master Catch, driven by Callaghan's father Mark.
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"When the hopple broke I just closed my eyes and hoped he wouldn't fall," said Jack. "But after that, it didn't seem to bother him, which is pretty incredible."
The Adam Ruggari-trained and Tom Ison-driven Hazelnuts finished another half-neck away in third place.
Jack, Blake Hughes and Ison are three of the younger drivers currently starring in the North West and Hunter Valley racing circle, with all having driven five winners at a single meeting.
Harmey has had a great 2020 after taking out the Group 2 Golden Guitar Final at Tamworth back in January, with Wet My Whistle.
It was also a first-time Group 1 win for Jack, who replaced regular stable reinsman Hughes, who unfortunately did not have an A grade metro licence to contest the Group 1 race. But after driving five winners at the last Tamworth meeting, that licence will not be far away.
Kanye Crusader paid $17 for the win and recorded a mile rate of 1min 58sec for the 2030 metres.
As a lead into the big Group 1 final, the TAB regional championships Consolation A race saw former Moonbi trainer Geoffrey Harding produce a training trifecta, with Roll With Lachlan - driven by his son Matthew - having a 2.9m win over the Ison-driven Rocknlachlan. Jasper Styles, driven by Callaghan, was another five metres away in third place.
Geoff and Matthew, who now operate out of Bobs Creek, had the biggest share of the $14,790 prize purse - as they race Roll With Lachlan and Rocknlachlan in partnership.
It was also a great achievement for Moonbi trainer and reinsman Dean Chapple, who contested his first Group 1 race as a trainer. His horse, Emm Aye Dee, finished sixth in the final after not getting a clear run until the final turn. I
It was also a first-time Group 1 race for Emm Aye Dee owner James Sills. Chapple's other stable runner on the night, Right On With It, finished eight in the B Consolation.
And after her recent move from Nowra to Tamworth to set up her own stables, Caitlin McElhinney finished 10th in the regional championships final at Newcastle - with the Neil Thompson-trained Ultra Bliss. Another young gun making her way in the industry, 19-year-old Caitlin also recently gained her trainers licence.
The Menangle result of the regional championship finals saw the Dean York-owned Star Major finish sixth to race favourite Wolf Stride, who achieved his sixth win on the trot.
One thing for certain is the TAB regional championships have given a new twist to feature racing and showcased plenty of talent coming off the country tracks - with heats and finals contested in the Riverina (Wagga) Western Districts (Bathurst) Hunter (Newcastle) and Menangle.
