It was always an enjoyable read to keep up to date with locally owned horses that were racing “Around the tracks.”

 I am going to try and do my best, so Kevin if you read it up there I hope you approve!

It seems fitting that I start off talking about a horse that Kevin Smith and Alma Middlebrook bred called King of the Creek. 

By American sire Sippin Bourbon and out of their bonny race mare Ricochet Romance, King of the Creek started the year off with a bang, breaking his maiden at the annual Wallabadah race meeting near Tamworth on New Year’s Day. 

Trained by Daryl Roberts and ridden by Elizabeth Weiszbach, the King won by a margin of 1.3 lengths. 

The six-year-old gelding has since followed that up with a ninth at Gunnedah on January 12 and then a close up third at the Tuncurry meeting on Saturday, January 17 at double figure odds.

Hopefully he can keep picking up prize money and running good races for his connections.

Another locally owned horse Miss Tripod ran a close second at the New Year’s day Wallabadah meeting, which proved to be an ideal tune up for her to break her maiden status at Taree on January 6 in great style. 

Given a 10 out of 10 ride by jockey Robert Thompson, Miss Tripod a daughter of sire Starcraft, sat just off the lead until the home turn, where Thompson let her go and she bounded away to win by 1.5 lengths. 

She had been very consistent in her first preparation with trainer Grant Marshall and it gives the owners Tavis Chivers, Kel Sullivan and Grant Hartman a winning double with their purchases from an Inglis Sale a couple of years back, with their other mare Slots being the winner of four races.

The Craig Martin trained Vinctori has also started twice in 2015 for local connections Kaye Goodwin, John Gore, Damien Reeves and Stephen Neilson.

 He ran a 2.6 length seventh at Tamworth on January 6 and followed that up with a 4.9 length fourth at the same track on January 18.

A son of Northern Meteor, Vincitori is a half brother to group one winner Sirmione and he shows tremendous gate speed and has been unlucky to be pipped for a placing a couple of times and should be a better horse after a spell and time with the same trainer. 

Good luck to the connections going forward and hoping he can crack it for a victory.

Consistent grey mare Paronella, ended a frustrating run for her connections, breaking through for her maiden win at Port Macquarie on January 80.

The mare by Casino Prince was having her 15th race start and has run several placings and was placed perfectly to break through by trainer Jason Deamer. 

Also piloted by jockey Robert Thompson, Paronella settled at the rear of the field but rounded them up comfortably at the 250m mark to score untouched by two lengths.

 Local connections Andrew Taylor and James Lovegrove and their families were on course to see the victory, whilst other local owners Ben Turner, Andrew Hill and Scott Hancock couldn’t be there but were very happy with the win.

Thursday, January 15 saw a bus load of 15 catch a bus from Dungog to Muswellbrook to watch three locally owned horses go around. 

Full of hope and optimism the bus didn’t come home disappointed after victories by two of the horses and a good run from the other.

Dungog owner/breeder Daryl Sullivan had his three-year-old filly Yatte Yattah, by former Cangon Stud based sire Recapitalize running for the first time under Newcastle trainer Jason Deamer. 

The filly had had only two starts previous to this as a two-year-old  with the last one back in May, and she ran a creditable seventh beaten 5.6 lengths.

 She tried hard and with a few more miles in her legs and race experience will hopefully win a race in the not too distant future.

The Jason Deamer trained Inflatable Miss scored a victory for her excited connections when she powered home from third last at the turn to win by 0.4 of a length in the Benchmark 60 Markey Insurance Handicap over 1280m. 

First up since September, trainer Jason Deamer had her primed up for a bold first up run and she didn’t disappoint with a gutsy win.

 Jockey Paul Hammersley rode her to perfection from the widest barrier and with a fast pace up front, the daughter of Churchill Downs, beat Ahundredout and Chiliad to take the race. 

Owned by a syndicate, including James and Katrina Lovegrove, Matthew Kearney, Peter Trappel, Ben Turner, Andrew Hill, Scott Hancock, Brian Simpson, Simon Beisler and Ben Trappel, the mare was purchased by James in July.

Three weeks later she won her first start at Taree for the syndicate, before following that up with a dead heat second and a fourth. 

The mare has now won four races over distances between 1200-1900m and trainer Jason Deamer was very happy with her first up run and is looking forward to seeing her continue to progress through her preparation.

The syndicate’s newest addition four-year-old Bianconi mare Our Renaissance showed what she is capable of when she streeted her rivals in the Coolmore Class 3 Handicap over 1000m. 

Having her first run for trainer Jason Deamer and also the owners, the mare sat just off the lead and pounced at the top of the straight to career away to win by 2¼ lengths and set a new class record, much to the delight of her cheering owners and supporters. 

Our Renaissance ran a time of 57.01 seconds for the 1000m, including 33.57 for the last 600m, just edging out the previous record of 57.1 set by Feats back in 1993. 

Trainer Jason Deamer expected a bold showing first up and expected her to improve on however she ran, and he was very, very impressed with her run. 

Her efforts blew everyone away with local owners James and Katrina Lovegrove, Ros Trappel , Jeremy Cross, Trent Turner, Matt Kearney, Scott Hancock, Luke Chant, Joel Kiem and the Stroud connection of Raider’s Racing Syndicate, ecstatic with the result and her performance. 

The victory brought up a riding treble for jockey Paul Hammersley, a training double for trainer Jason Deamer and an owning double to some of the connections, who fared well on the punt after Inflatable Miss paid a handy $10.80 for the win and Our Renaissance paying $13.80, to top off a dream day for all connections.

Both horses will be given two to three weeks between runs before being placed to hopefully continue their first up winning form.

The Raider’s Racing Syndicate, part owner’s of Our Renaissance had another runner at Gosford on Friday, September 16, with Mossman mare Myseventeenseventy racing over 1100m. 

Ridden by apprentice jockey Jess Taylor, she ran a fantastic race a double figure odds to finish third beaten by only two lengths.

 She has proven to be a handy mare with four wins and three placings from only 13 race starts for Scone trainer Peter Bloomfield and based upon her run on Friday another win mightn’t be too far away.

Happy punting and remember, money lost is nothing lost, but confidence lost is everything lost!