Wyong trainer Kristen Buchanan has celebrated a career milestone at Warwick Farm with a filly she hopes can continue to progress through the grades.
Two-year-old Winning Proposal posted a convincing victory in the Exceedance @ Vinery Stud Handicap (1100m) on Wednesday to give the talented horsewoman her 300th winner.
Buchanan only recently became aware the mark was approaching and said it was a thrill for her whole stable.
“I wasn’t keeping an eye on it at all, but I’m very proud of the team, they do an enormous job,” Buchanan said.
Buchanan was also proud of Winning Proposal, who was having just her fourth start after scoring a debut win at Newcastle and finishing fourth to Fully Lit in the Inglis Millennium in February.
“Just a really lovely filly, out of the box since she arrived. She is very natural,” she said.
“We started her in the (Inglis) Millennium and she was very impressive there at just her second start.
“She’s got a will to win, she is a little greyhound. She is strengthening up and I think she is only going to improve.”
Ridden by Nash Rawiller, Winning Proposal ($3.20 fav) scored by a half-length over Vanessi ($4) with Scintilla ($4.40) another 1-1/4 lengths away third.
Hawkes Racing unveiled a smart youngster a race later when Mawjood overcame a wide run to win the Vale David Mills Handicap (1100m) for champion apprentice Zac Lloyd.
Mawjood ($4.40) was gelded after disappointing at his first start in February but lived up to his recent trial performances with a classy display to claim the scalp of $1.80 favourite Tarpaulin.
Lloyd said the fact the youngster overcame the outside gate to score only added merit to his win.
“I was taken by him the other week when I trialled him and it was good to see him do it today. That was a very, very good win,” Lloyd said.
“When the barriers came out, I knew it was going to be very tricky from where I was.
“I was three and four-wide there, no cover for the majority of the race, so for the horse to be strong late and tough it out was good.”
Mawjood’s time of 1:04.78 was almost a second faster than Winning Proposal’s on the heavy 8 surface.
Jockey @nashhot puts Winning Proposal into a winning position and the first favourite is home at Warwick Farm 🏠🤝
Congratulations to @kbuchananracing who brings up her 300th career win! pic.twitter.com/A9zLHi3wG1
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 26, 2024
