THE smile and salute as he returned to scale was welcome relief as Willie McCarthy brought back the Brierly Steeplechase winner Duke Of Bedford on Tuesday, day one of Warrnambool’s famed May Carnival.

Trained by Andrew Bobbin, the Tavistock gelding led all the way to make it consecutive wins in the race by McCarthy.

“I love setting goals with races and working backwards and hitting the target and this was one today,” said Bobbin. “There’s none better than Willie around this circuit and I was bloody glad that Willie was on when the pressure was on.”

McCarthy, having won the first of the day aboard Through Irish Eyes in that horse’s jumps debut, has been battling shoulder pain since surgery after a race fall last June. “They put a couple of screws in there,” he said. “The tendons actually came off the shoulder and they screwed them back on. A hell of a lot of pain in recovery.

“I’ve broken a lot of bones in my body; legs, back and limbs and the whole lot, but the tendon is another thing. It’s a long recovery with a shoulder and the tendon it took so long to bond back onto the shoulder. Just a hot, burning pain all the time. Just crazy pain.”

Nevertheless, the win brought welcome relief with this just his second jumps race ride this year. “I’ve never sat on the horse, but I’ve ridden against him heaps of times and he was always a horse that stood out for me,” said McCarthy.

“Just a really nice, big horse, a big stride on him and well-measured at his fences. He was very strong. Andrew (Bobbin) and myself have been connected for a few years now. He trains on the deep sand and his horses are always very fit.”

TOM Ryan won both jump races on offer on the second day of the Warrnambool’s three-day May carnival.

Having combined with Shane Jackson and Jekyll’n’hyde to win the Victory Dunroe Steeplechase, the Toronado gelding’s first start over the larger obstacles, Ryan was legged aboard The Cunning Fox for trainers Patrick and Michelle Payne in the Galleywood Hurdle.

Over 3,200 metres, the A$150,000 feature became a tussle between four as the field of eight swept through the final bend. Hard ridden, Ryan got the best out of The Cunning Fox whose 69kg impost belied his strength to the line.

Home by a length, the Reliable Man gelding defeated Affluential and Right Now with the Irish-bred Stern Idol two-lengths from the winner.

Terrier

“That was a dogfight. There were no hiding places there. Jesus, he answered every call. There’s a terrier in him, a bit of dog in him, and he fought right to the line,” said Tommy Ryan.

“He’s such a cat jumping-wise, he’s so slick and clever. Even jumping the last, he was so quick and clever at it and got away from it.”

The Cunning Fox has now won all five of his hurdle starts, with this his second feature - having won the J.J. Houlahan Hurdle last season at Ballarat.

Both Tommy Ryan and Shane Jackson finished with three winners each, with Ryan the leading jumps jockey for the carnival.

Grand Annual

Steeplechase

BACKING up in the A$350,000 Grand Annual Steeplechase over 5,500 metres, two days after winning the Brierly Steeplechase, Duke Of Bedford completed the feature race double with a 12-length romp.

Leading from the off with Aaron Lynch up, who took the ride due to Willie McCarthy’s prior booking, the Tavistock gelding obliterated his nine rivals. Leading at times by 20 lengths, it was a one act affair.

Left in his wake was the Nayef gelding Instigator in second, ahead of McCarthy’s mount Bazini, 22 lengths from the winner in third.

“When you’re that far in front you can hear the call, it’s peaceful and you can hear everything,” said 35-year-old Aaron Lynch of his first win in the race.

“You’re just concentrating on your jumps and getting the horse over safely. He’s just got that rolling tempo and holds that gallop, which just breaks them down. He jumped brilliantly and never really made a mistake at all.”

Biggest win

Trained by Andrew Bobbin at Stawell, three hours north-west of Melbourne, the win is the biggest of his career.

“The buzz that we got on Wednesday morning when we all got in the barn together after the Brierly win, that’s why we’re in the game, for situations like this and things to look forward to and work towards.

“This was a bonus today, the Brierly was the goal, but the way he did that today, I might have just undersold his ability,” said Bobbin who trains on a 100-acre property that features heavy sand.

“Our property’s built for stayers. Now, the only stayers we’ve got are jumpers, the ones I buy are no good. When the time’s right and we get the right staying horses, we know that we can keep them sound, we can keep them improving all the time. This horse is just a testament to the whole operation.”

Australasian Oaks (Group 1)

Robert Sangster Stakes (Group 1)

MELBOURNE Cup winning jockey Mark Zahra had a day to remember at Morphertville on Saturday, winning both Group 1s on offer to complete a treble. Having ticked off the Group 3 Breeders’ Stakes aboard Legacy Bound for trainer Robbie Griffiths, Zahra was legged aboard the $3 favourite Benagil in the Group 1 Australasian Oaks three hours later.

Held over 2,000 metres, the Manhattan Rain filly drifted towards the tail before moving into the race with ease approaching the bend.

“I was just smoking the pipe, looking at what was going on,” said Zahra. “I was just jogging. In these staying races, I don’t like to disappoint them for too long. You’ve got to let them go when they’re ready to go. I waited until we got into straight, let her rip, and she had them a long way out.”

Trained by Glen Thompson, his solo first Group 1 win since the death of his training partner Mike Moroney, Benagil may now head to the Queensland Oaks.

Similar race

Thirty minutes later Zahra saluted again, riding a very similar race, albeit over 1,200 metres in the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes on the I Am Invincible filly Charm Stone. From near the tail, the pair cruised into the race as the widest runner rounding the bend.

“I drew wide. I just said ‘I’m going to leave her alone, get her a nice rhythm’,” said Zahra of the Mick Price and Michael Kent-trained filly. “I was able to save the best for the finish. It was a busy enough finish, but I thought I won pretty convincingly in the end.”

IN a joint statement on Wednesday, Godolphin and trainer James Cummings announced that they will decouple their partnership as both embrace more public models.

“The private training model that we first adopted after the purchase of Woodlands in 2007 with successive trainers, Peter Snowden, John O’Shea and now James Cummings for the past eight years, has proven to be very successful,” said Godolphin Australia managing director Andy Makiv.

“Moving away from a private training model gives us greater business agility. We will continue to have the same number of horses in training, it’s fundamental to what we do.”

Time is right

That sentiment was echoed by Cummings. “The time is right for me to take the next step in my career and launch my own venture as a public trainer,” he said.

“I’ve been fortunate to work with exceptional horses and a dedicated team during my time at Godolphin, and together we’ve celebrated many memorable successes. This experience has been incredibly rewarding and has taught me invaluable lessons, both professionally and personally.

“I’m deeply grateful to Godolphin for their ongoing support, and I look forward with great anticipation to this exciting new chapter.”