Bain Racing scores with dual code winners last Saturday

Full steam ahead for Gawler’s Bain train on Saturday with a dual code treble including a feature Alabar Southern Cross Series final.

Co-trainers Aaron Bain and Ned Taylor landed their first Morphettville Parks thoroughbred double on Saturday afternoon with victories by Shootoose and pin up mare Wonderwomen.

It was the fifth consecutive Saturday that the trainers had supplied a winner at the Adelaide metropolitan race meeting.

At Globe Derby Park in the evening, No Notthebuttons (Art Major) scored a narrow, but thrilling win, in the Alabar Southern Cross Series final (1800m) for the two-year-old colts and geldings.

The win was also a significant victory for Gawler reinsman Ken Rogers who recently resumed from an absence from harness racing.

No Notthebuttons is trained in Victoria by Emma Stewart but is owned by Bain through his business Aaron Bain Racing, along with good friends Summit Bloodstock, Brad Fitzgerald, Nicolle Rantanen Reynolds and Wear The Fox Hat Syndicate, managed by Rocky Butterworth.

After opening at $1.50 in betting, No Notthebuttons drifted to $2.40 by race time due to the sensational support for the Les Harding-trained Bay Jim Major which firmed from $4 to start $2 favourite.

The favourites backers expected Bay Jim Major to lead from gate one, but the race maps were off the table when Hezrockinroyalty ($16) flew the start from barrier seven for driver Ryan Hryhorec and was able to cross and lead.

From gate two, No Notthebuttons settled one-out, one-back, but Rogers decided to make a bid for the front and went around to challenge Hezrockinroyalty, but Hryhorec made his intentions clear to hold the front.

A master at rating horses, Hryhorec was able to have comfortable quarters of 30.7 and 31.4 seconds for the first quarters of the last 1600 metres. Then the tempo increased as Rogers asked No Notthebuttons to challenge the leader.

With a 28.7 second third quarter, the pair settled down for a war up the home straight.

Hezrockinroyalty tended to run up the track and the closeness caused No Notthebuttons to lose his momentum but once he balanced up charged strongly and arrived to grab a half head win from Hezrockinroyalty with Bay Jim Major, which had trailed the front pair, 1-1/2 metres away third.

The two-year-olds ran a final quarter of 28.1 seconds for an overall mile rate of 1:57.5, very good for that age group.

It was also a masterful drive by Rogers who knew the capabilities of his drive and was prepared to sit parked.

Stewart has dominated the Southern Cross races over the past eight years.

No Notthebuttons was her only runner this year but gave her an eighth two-year-old winner since 2015 and she has also taken out five three-year-old finals.

Bain said he had paid $32,000 for the gelding as a yearling from top South-East breeders Peter and Lesley Medhurst.

“He showed ability from the time we put him in work,” Bain said.

“However, he was immature and could do things wrong, so the decision was made to geld him and since then he has been a lot better.

“He can stay in Gawler and go for a spell before going back to Emma for a busy three-year-old campaign and returning to the three-year-old Southern Cross.”

Delightfull Tammy completed her successful South Australian campaign with Roseworthy trainer Toby Ryan taking out the Sky Racing Three-Year-Old Pacing Fillies final (2230m).

A tough filly, Delightfull Tammy, backed from $1.50 into $1.35 favourite, sat parked before dashing away to win by nine metres from Always Steamed Up ($5) with Sunshineanrainbows ($9), 2-1/2 metres away third.

Owned by Adam, Ben and Terry Cormack who started their successful meat business in the Gawler area, Delightfull Tammy was trained in Victoria by Peter Manning, but came to Ryan’s stable to ensure she qualified for the Southern Cross series and Saturday’s final was her goal.

Along the way, she also collected the SAHRC Derby, Mermaid Stakes and South Australian Oaks.

Delightfull Tammy’s SA campaign has netted her $42,512 in stakes.

The filly was driven by the trainer’s wife Lisa Ryan, who understood Delightfull Tammy’s capabilities and was happy to drive her tough.

Penfield co-trainers Jill Neilson and Katie Wilson worked hard to ensure three-year-old filly Skew Whiff could contest the Sky Racing Three-year-Old Trotters Southern Cross Series final (2230m) and their efforts were rewarded.

A red-hot $1.35 favourite, Skew Whiff, driven by Wayne Hill, scored by 4-1/2 from Hayoak ($2.80) in an entertaining final, with Miss Fortune ATM ($31), 80 metres away third.

Trainer-driver Dean Girardi made a spirited bid to find the front on Hayoak, but Hill was determined to maintain the lead.

After a battle for 200 metres, Girardi eased back to trail the leader and tried to sprint home to grab a win, but Skew Whiff was too strong.

A disappointment for Wasleys trainer Claire Goble who had All The Trix engaged in the race, and which was an odds-on pre-post favourite, but had to scratch him on race day when it was discovered he had suffered a spider bite.

The early discovery meant he was able to be successfully treated.

For complete race results, click here.

From HRSA Media