Keeping Pace: Richard Williams-trained Everything Happens to contest Menangle Country Series final

After taking out the Menangle Country Series heat, the Richard Williams stables are now off to Menangle to contest the $20,000 final on May 1 with Everything Happens.

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Leading all the way, Everything Happens produced a mile rate of 1min 57.3sec for 1760m - breaking the track record set by Rock N Joy (1.57.9) in April 2019.

"Third time lucky, hopefully," said Williams of the Menangle final. He has contested it twice before without a win.

"I think we have the horse to do it this time. He has got high speed and loves it out in front. Hopefully we get a good draw in the final and we can give it a good shake."

Everything Happens came into the Narrabri race after finishing third at Albion Park.

Commencing from the three barrier, Williams held the lead all the way with the seven-year-old For A Reason gelding, before going on to record a 3.3m win over Acoltnamedsu (Blake Hughes). Bettethanspraying (Jake Hughes) was a short half head away in third place.

"The plan was to just try to keep him rolling along out in front," Williams said. "Before he came to us, they said he grows a leg out in the lead and you just have to keep him rolling along."

Dubbo also featured at the Narrabri meeting, with trainer Greg Pay securing the Shop 2390 Narrabri Cup via Bid For Stardom (James Sutton).

After taking the lead not long after the start, Sutton let Bid For Stardom roll along in the 2560m feature race.

"When he got to the front, he just started rolling along and I knew he would be hard to catch from there," Sutton said.

"It was my first drive back in six months," he added, "and I thought I might have been a bit rusty."

The last time Pay had success at Narrabri Paceway was in 1993, when Remember Lady produced back-to-back wins including a Sires Stakes heat.

"It was good to win the Narrabri Cup," he said, "and it was a good drive by James. He knows the horse better than anyone. The horse is a handful."

Bid For Stardom had an 18.7m win over Datizit (Madi Young), with Manly Boy (Jake Hughes) four metres away in third place.

Fellow Dubbo trainer John Lew had success with All Spruced Up (Sam Ison) in race three at Narrabri.

"She came out of the gate nice," Ison said. "But it was a tight finish in the end."

All Spruced Up held on for a neck win over Attahua Ace (Scotty-Jon Welsh), with My Kinda Justus (Blake Hughes) 1.4m away in third place.

Hughes teamed with Tamworth trainer Tony Missen to claim two wins in feature races at Narrabri. Hand Writer took out the John Dean Memorial, and I'm So Better won the Santos Cup.

Inverell trainer Julie Hobday won race four at the meeting, when Talk To Me Baby made it two wins from two starts for Hobday. The mare won at Narrabri the previous week.

The Weidemann sisters, Julie and Lola, had a fruitful return to the North West. Lola took out the opening event at Narrabri, after Brock Sing - whom she trained and drove - notched his first career win.

Julie then drove Miss Catalina - which her sister trained - to victory in the next race. It was Julie's 324 career start and her 25th win.

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