Steplee continues love affair with Scone
It was a case of horses for courses when Steplee stormed down the outside in the TAB Highway Handicap (1600m) at Scone to remain unbeaten in three starts at his home track.
The five-year-old's last win came in the corresponding race 12 months ago, although this time around trainer Rod Northam had his heart in his mouth when Steplee still had many lengths to make up turning for home.
"It was a tough watch for sure," Northam said.
"You always know that he's going to really attack the line when he gets that clear running but halfway up the straight I was like, 'ooooh, he's got a fair bit to make up' and they didn't look like they were stopping.
"But he was tough late."
Ridden by apprentice Reece Jones, Steplee ($3.60 fav) arrived just in time to nail What A Peach ($16) in the final bounds with Sungblue ($14) close-up in third.
Jones said the winner was an "ultra-competitive" horse and did a great job to give his rivals such a head start and reel them in.
"It was a little bit too close for comfort there at the line but he had a lot of work to do from where he was," Jones said.
"Those leaders skipped away and he was really tough and really wanted to win today."
Super Scone carnival for Canberra yard
The Joseph and Jones training team ensured their 12-hour round trip from Canberra to Scone for the two-day carnival was worthwhile, coming away with a Saturday metropolitan victory courtesy of Super Helpful.
Co-trainer Paul Jones took four horses in the float to the Hunter Valley, including Friday's winner Love Shuck for fellow Canberra horseman Todd Smart, and left with two victories and a second placing with One Aye.
"We came up here on Thursday with the horse yesterday (One Aye) and she ran enormous and we also brought up Love Shuck, so the truck's looking pretty good at the moment," Jones said.
Super Helpful ($21) had been luckless in two prior runs at Randwick and the Town Plate at Wagga, but jockey Amy Mclucas ensured there were no such issues from his inside draw on Saturday, scooting up along the rails with a late dive to nail Shipshape ($8) in the Yarraman Park Handicap (1300m)
"I had the beautiful box seat, he was a little keen in the middle stages but once they shifted off the fence and I got the run, he knew where he was going and he knew what to do," McLucas said.
Queensland on the radar for Athelric
Honest gelding Athelric has all but earned himself another winter carnival trip to Brisbane with his narrow victory in Saturday's Ortensia Stakes (1100m) at Scone.
The four-year-old saluted in a benchmark race on the same program last year before heading north and going on to capture the Listed Queensland Day Stakes.
Trainer James Cummings was at Doomben on Saturday, but stable representative Darren Beadman said he was likely to follow a similar path.
"Athelric won at the Scone meeting last year then went to Brisbane and won a stakes race,'' Beadman said.
"James could do the same again with this horse as he is a very honest, precocious type of racehorse.
"We thought he was a bit stiff at Hawkesbury last start when he got held up in behind them.
"But Dylan (Gibbons) gave him a lovely ride and from gate one, he was on the back of the speed and rode for a bit of luck.''
While the breaks went the way of Athelric ($6.50) on Saturday, the same can't be said for runner-up Quantico ($4.60), who was held up behind Athelric before eventually getting into the clear and dashing home to just miss.
The winner's stablemate Andermatt ($6) was third.
Athelric kicked off a fruitful period for Cummings with Character giving him a two-state stakes race double less than 10 minutes later in the Channel 7 Members Handicap (1600m) at Doomben.
Waller winless on second day of Scone carnival
Leading trainer Chris Waller had a rare winless afternoon at NSW's major metropolitan meeting on Saturday, but he did make his presence felt in Brisbane with new recruit Special Swey.
The former New Zealander only arrived at Waller's stable 10 days ago and the champion horseman said it was owner Tony Muollo who convinced him to take Special Sway to Saturday's Rough Habit Plate (2000m) at Doomben.
"Tony has been a great supporter of mine, he picked the horse out and said 'I think we should take this horse to Queensland'," Waller said.
"Full credit to Tony."
Special Swey took seven starts to break his maiden in New Zealand and was sent out a $26 chance for his first crack at stakes grade.
Tyler Schiller took him to the front and he defied all challengers to win Saturday's Group 3 race by 1-1/2 lengths over $3.60 favourite The Vowels with Stroke Of Luck ($3.70) another length away third.
Special Swey is now on the third line of Queensland Derby markets at $8, although Waller says his $2.80 Derby favourite Kovalica remains his number one seed.
"He's still behind Kovalica, but if there's a chink in Kovalica's armour he'll run a strong 2400 (metres)," Waller said.
Quote of the day: "I thought, (leader) Titanium Power is no slouch, I don't want to be sitting pretty and when I said go, I nearly fell off the back of her." – Apprentice Dylan Gibbons on the slick finish unleashed by Opal Ridge to win the Luskin Star Stakes.
