Two Armidale trainers were in the money at Grafton on Wednesday with Robert Knight's Hichaux and Stirling Osland's In Heart's Wake both toppling their rivals to take wins.
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Hichaux might well back up at Sunday's Armidale meeting after surging to victory by a length.
The Robert Knight-trained gelding, a six-year-old son of High Chaparral, was having his 30th start when he jumped in the Southside Pharmacy Jacaranda Maiden Handicap (1700m).
Mikaela Weir had him in the box seat, trailing the leaders into the straight and then revved him up to finish too stoutly for his opposition.
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Knight was delighted with the effort and also the ride.
"Perfect," he said of Weir's performance "great work".
"I might back him up at Armidale on Sunday," he added of a Class 1 and Maiden Plate over 1900m.
At this stage there are just nine nominations for that race with Hichaux receiving 56.5kg in a race where Blackwater Bronn (Brett Dodson), Belbaroo (Therese Stair) and Cicilo (George Woodward) are the 59kg topweights.
Weir was delighted with Hichaux's effort and had thought she might be further back in the run.
She was pleased he found a good spot and then "toughed it out".
"He'll take a lot of confidence from that," she said "and could go on with it."
Osland also claimed a win with In Heart's Wake coming from the rear to win for the first time in more than two years.
She's bigger and stronger this time in. I do think she has got a bit of improvement in her too.
- Stirling Osland
The Armidale mare was second last entering the straight unleashed a determined sprint to round up her rivals and score an impressive win in the CRJC Life Members Benchmark 66 Handicap (1400m).
The six-year-old daughter of Duporth had not won since saluting at Bendigo back in October 2019 and was then transferred to Osland in Armidale from the Tony and Calvin McEvoy stable in October 2020.
She had run six placings for Osland since joining his stable in 10 starts, and he had given her a good 10- week spell after freshening her five runs into her career at Armidale.
"She's come back well after a couple of soft trials," Osland told Sky Thoroughbred Central after her first win for him but her fourth overall.
"She didn't do too much in them (trials). the win. Ash (Morgan) saved her for the last lash at them."
He thinks she can go on with it too.
"She's bigger and stronger this time in. I do think she has got a bit of improvement in her too."
