TWO TRINITY BANNON TRAINED RUNNERS FIGHT OUT A ROUSING FINISH IN THE FEATURE RACE AT MACKAY

By Graham Potter | Monday, July 5, 2021

Seven races were decided at MacKay on Saturday (July 3) on a track rated as ‘good’ with the rail out 3m for the entire circuit.

The two Trinity Bannon trained runners Star Of O’Reilly ($3.60) and Brad ($6.50) fought out a rousing finish in the featured Barry Williams Memorial Lightning Open Handicap, which was contested over 1100m.

It was a sterling effort from both runners, given that they trailed the hot pace set by the tearaway leaders Gypsy Toff (the $2.60 favourite) and Moreno ($9) by more than ten lengths in last and second last place with 650m left to run.

Both riders, Chris Whiteley (on Star Of O’Reilly) and Carl Spry (on Brad) got to work on their horses in the sweep to the home turn, making up good ground as they both tracked a path four wide into the straight with Star O’Reilly blazing a trail and Brad hot on his heels.

By now Moreno had got the better of Gypsy Toff up front but, halfway up the straight, it became obvious that, for all of his endeavours, Moreno was no good thing as Star Of O’Reilly and Brad, racing as if glued together, had now built serious momentum and were both closing fast on Moreno.

Inside the last 100m, it became a race in two as the Bannon pair collared the game Moreno. Star Of O’Reilly held the advantage over Brad, but the latter was now finishing the better of the two and he surged late, dived, but missed by the narrowest of margins giving Star Of O’Reilly victory in a result that was so close to being a stable dead-heat.

This was Star Of O’Reilly’s fifth win from six starts this year with those winning riding honours being shared between Carl Spry (who rode the O’Reilly gelding in three of those wins, Chris Whiteley (who was aboard for this latest success) and Trinity Bannon herself (who ride the five-year-old to victory back in April when it first came into the Bannon stable}.

Brad, for his part, lost no followers in defeat. While he was denied a hat trick of wins here, the fact that he went down by such a slim margin when conceding a massive weight difference to his stable companion and rival speaks volumes for his effort. (For the record, Brad carried 63kg. Star Of O’Reilly carried 55kg … a whopping 8kg turnaround).

Moreno (Wayne Pomfrett – David Simmons) did gain some reward fir his gutsy effort by claiming third place. The other early leader Gypsy Toff, the race favourite, dropped away over the final stages to finish unplaced.
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Star Of O’Reilly was the second winner on the card for Chris Whiteley, who also rode the Jamie McConachy trained Eveready to victory in the QTIC Three-Year-Old Maiden Handicap, also over 1100m.

Eveready went off at the restrictive odds of $1.70 with Fairybower Flyer (Julieann Lancaster – Nathan Thomas) being the only other runner quoted in single figures ($3.70) … and these two runners were the two involved in the finish.

While the battle tightened markedly in the final few strides, Eveready pretty much always had the race under control after bouncing to the front from the break. Fairybower tracked the favourite in third, and then second place, getting the run of the race along the rail, and she did put in a very bold late effort, but Whiteley ensured that Eveready had done enough to secure the victory, albeit by a diminishing 0.20 length margin.

Eveready was scoring his Maiden victory at his ninth attempt.
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In spite of missing out in the feature, Carl Spry also claimed two winners to share the days riding honours with Chris Whiteley. Carl Spry’s double came aboard Dawn Too Good, trained by Trinity Bannon, and Let’s Go Bobby, for trainer Georgie Holt.

Dawn Too Good justified his $1.55 starting price with a comfortable 0.80 length, start to finish victory over Man O’ Ross (Wayne Pomfrett – David Simmons) who stayed close enough to keep the favourite honest throughout.

Spry’s second winner was Let’s Go Bobby, who caned his field when scoring by a handsome four lengths … which was easily the biggest winning margin of the day.

Spry settled the Holt runner in second place in the early part, but he was in front by the time the field straightened for home and, from there, it was simply ‘no contest’ … and a very easy collect for those who took what turned out to be the very generous odds of $4,80 about Let’s Go Bobby’s chances.
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Other winners on the day included the Alan Jones trained Cinderella Man (a $2.45 favourite) who Wanderson D’Avila guided to a popular victory in race 1 … Planet Warrior (Olivia Ciarns – Adam Sewell) who, at $10, was the longest priced winner on the card … and Dawson Delight (Clinton Taylor – Angela Jones) who was one of four favourites to win on the day.