Former horse breaker Greg Bennett made a successful hit-and-run visit when consistent NSW country filly Charm’s Honour won the Listed Mode Plate at Doomben on Saturday.
Charm’s Honour ($3 fav), ridden by Ric McMahon, gave Bennett his first Queensland winner when the three-year-old filly downed Punch On ($17) by a short neck in the 1200-metre feature.
Saraji ($5.50) was a fading third, two lengths away.
Bennett’s only previous starter in Queensland was Donna Uccello who failed in a 2100-metre Class 6 at Eagle Farm in 2005.
Bennett, who has a team of 35 horses in work at Scone, worked for many years as a breaker before giving the game away to concentrate on training.
“I’m 52 now and I’ve given horse breaking away and I’m really enjoying training,” he said.
Bennett plans to spell Charm’s Honour immediately before preparing the daughter of Strada for the Sydney autumn carnival.
“This is Strada’s first stakeswinner and I think this mare is good enough for the autumn in Sydney,” he said.
“I’m not saying she’s a Group One horse but she’s definitely up to Group Two and Group Three races.
“Before this she had been Listed-placed but now she’s a Listed winner.”
Bennett revealed he decided to aim Charm’s Honour for the Mode Plate while driving home to Scone following her placing at Canterbury last month.
“I was driving home from Sydney and had this race in mind for her so I was on the phone immediately to Ric’s (McMahon) manager to get him to ride her,” he said.
“I knew she was fit enough but I would have preferred it to be 1400 metres.”
Meanwhile, exciting mare Alltherightmoves will target the Listed Goldmarket Handicap (1300m) at the Gold Coast on January 2 after continuing her meteoric rise with a last-stride win in the Lyndhurst Stud Handicap (1010m).
Alltherightmoves ($1.75 fav) was tardy out of the barriers and looked beaten turning for home before powering home to stretch her winning sequence to six with a long head win over Inventory ($21).
Trainer Les Kelly admitted the four-year-old’s winning streak looked to be over at the top of the straight after she struggled to stay in touch with the early leaders.
“I was worried. She seemed to struggle in the heavier ground on the inside,” Kelly said.
“I was training her for the 1200-metre Country Cup last week but she was ineligible so I had to drop her back in distance for this.
“She’s only lost once and she really should be unbeaten. She’s looking for 1200 and 1400 metres and she’s a real carnival horse next year.”
Kelly will wait and see how the daughter of Johannesburg pulls up before deciding her next start.
“She could go straight for a spell or she could go for the Goldmarket before she gets ready for the Brisbane winter carnival,” he said.
AAP TURF
