It was Michael Craig's time to shine on Monday with Time to Dazzle taking out the TAB.COM.AU Benchmark 58 Handicap (1600m) at Tamworth and delivering the Gunnedah trainer his maiden win.
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The only horse Craig, who has only had his training licence for about six months, has in work at the moment, the four-year old was awarded the win after a protest against race winner Vanbari.
The connections of Time To Dazzle, who finished second, and third-place Badboy McCoy both protested the result after the Kris Lees-trained gelding appeared to cause interference as they formed a line of three in the closing stages.
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Stewards upheld the protest of 'third v first' resulting in Time To Dazzle being elevated to first and Badboy McCoy second, with Vanbari relegated to third (they were almost a length-and-a-half clear of the rest of the field).
"It was a hard way to train your first winner, by protest," Craig said.
But it was still a "great" feeling and, he added, shows that you are doing something right.
While only the mare's fourth start for him, he was confident about her chances going into the race, so much so that he told his wife not to worry about cooking dinner, he'd be taking her out (to celebrate).
"I was very confident at Tamworth last meeting when they called it off. I thought she'd win that day," he said.
"On the spur of the moment I nominated her for Muswellbrook the other Friday (July 2)."
On a heavy eight she produced a " big run" to finish fourth.
Craig was the only local trainer to pick up a winner.
Dubbo's Clint Lundholm won the first with Dissenter, Peter Englebrecht (Muswellbrook) the second with Head Above, Nathan Doyle (Newcastle) the third with Full Coverage, Ron Brown (Scone) the fourth with Noble Pluck, Aleacia Bennett (Muswellbrook) the fifth with Elusive Babbz in a photo from Walcha trainer George Woodward's Foreign Brother and Jan Bowen (Muswellbrook) the last with Jekyll.
