Sport
8 August, 2025
Racing report - Forbes and Cobar
Raced at Forbes (Sunday, August 3) and Cobar (Saturday, August 2).
Raced at Forbes – Sunday, August 3
Barbara Joseph and her sons Paul and Matt Jones operate a trainers partnership at Canberra and regularly start horses at Forbes. So, it was a popular result with locals among the big crowd when Louie’s Legacy won the $50,000 Bankstown Sports Forbes Cup with Quayde Krogh in the saddle.
Formerly based in Queensland, Quayd Kroghe had a stint with the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable at Randwick before moving to Canberra where he has ridden many winners for the Joseph-Jones Partnership.
In the 1600 metres Big Dance Eligibility Cup, Louie’s Legacy settled further back than midfield with the $2.30 favourite High Dandy leading the 14-horse field in the run to the home turn from Just Go Bang, Aimpoint, and County Kilkenny.
Overhauling the leading pack in the straight, Louie’s Legacy ($7 to $6.50) prevailed over Aimpoint (Donovan Dillon, $14) by a neck with over two lengths to County Kilkenny (Mathew Cahill, $9.50) while High Dandy battled on for fourth.
Long time staunch supporters of Forbes Jockey Club, Hawkesbury trainers, Terry Croft and Tara and Philippe Vigouroux won races with Zoutastic and Unreal Expectation, respectively.
A last start Grafton winner for Terry Croft, Zoutastic (Chad Lever, $2.30 favourite) in the feature sprint at Forbes, the 1200 metres Club Sydney-Amazing Ben Hall Bullet BM 82 Handicap, trailed the leading pair then held off by a length last year’s winner Miss Jennifer (Mathew Cahill, $3.10) and Shipshape (Donovan Dillon, $6). Unreal Expectation also a last start Bathurst winner for Tara and Phillipe Vigouroux won the 1400 metres Forbes Scrap Metal and CUB Breweries Showcase Class One Handicap at Forbes.
Swooping in the straight, Unreal Expectation ($4.60) gave Chad Lever a double when a half-length winner from A Boy Named Soo (Zoe Hunt, $12) and Luna Angel (Teaghan Martin, $15).
Winning form proved to be good form at Forbes and yet another last start winner, Slush Fund at Bathurst, won again at Forbes. Raced by Kathryn Smith from Dubbo and trained by Clint Lundholm, Slush Fund (Zoe Hunt, $5.50) took the lead from Geostorm then drew clear to beat Overflow Miss (Jack Baker, $81) and Sapphires Son (Dale Cole, $21).
First leg of a winning double for Bathurst trainer Dean Mirfin was Ishikari in the $50,000 Walker Family Showcase Super Maiden Handicap over 1300 metres.
Send Me Grey and Capricious Belle set the pace before Ishikari (Donovan Dillon, $3.10 favourite) finished best to account for Blackfish (Izzy Neale, $9) and Wolf Island (Mathew Cahill, $5.50).
Former South African jockey Donovan Dillon was again the rider when the Dean Mirfin-trained Shaddup ($6 to $4.60) led from the top of the straight to win the Club Forbes Showcase Class Two Handicap by more than two lengths from Royal Bombadier (Mikayla Weir, $4 favourite) and Grand Oyster (Jake Pracey-Holmes, $18).
A winning double also for Barbara Joseph, Paul and Matt Jones with Louie’s Legacy (Cup) and Think I Do (Claire Ramsbotham, $4.80) in the 1600 metres Bankstown Sports 30 Years Forbes Sponsorship Maiden Plate while the Nick Olive, Queanbeyan-trained Triptolemus (Coriah Keatings, $5) won the 1100 metres Shead and Nicholson-Daikin/Seeley Maiden Plate.
Raced at Cobar – Saturday, August 2
Based at Wangaratta, Victoria, trainer Russell Green has often raced his team at meetings in western NSW and on Saturday he won the 1700 metres DJW and Wells Cobar Picnic Cup with Lord Percy.
Starting the $8 outsider in the Cup, Lord Percy (Zara Lewis) took the lead from Outback Cod and in the straight fought off the challenge from Coastal Groove (Leandro Ribeiro, $2.30) and Joshua (Todd Bailey, $2 favourite).
Blackhill Kitty is entitled to be early favourite for the $50,000 Picnic Champions Series Final at Dubbo in September after winning at Cobar and finishing on top of the point score qualifying ladder for the final.
From near last in the 1400 metres Nutrien Russell Trophy Handicap, Blackhill Kitty (Leandro Ribeiro, $3.20 favourite) reeled in the leader Loud (Ricky Blewitt, $4.20) to win by a length with Different Road (Paul Zerafa, $10) in third place.
Horses trained at Tumbarumba by Mont Waters hold track records at several venues and it was another record when Cassimir ($4) ridden by Mont’s daughter Emily Waters came from midfield to beat the leader Spirit Lake (Bessie Dimery, $3 favourite) and Obsessive Nature (Ashley Boyd, $4.60) in the 1000 metres Cynend Building and Construction Trophy Handicap.
Widely-travelled Forbes trainer Bill Hayes who has had starters from King Island, Tasmania to outback NSW over the past seven months, won the 1000 metres Cobar Steel Class B Handicap with Rubicon River.
Parked behind the leaders turning for home, Rubicon River (Ashley Boyd, $6) finished best to beat Spotted (Ricky Blewitt, $3 favourite) and Savvy Statement (Emily Waters, $4.40)
Owned by Andy Barrow and family from Gunnedah and trained at Gilgandra by Kieren Hazelton, Ransom’s Girl (Ricky Blewitt, $2.10 favourite) won the 1000 metres Maiden Plate while the Ray Hartley, Tamworth trained Point To Prove ($2.20 favourite) won the 1400 metres Sullivans Mining and Industrial Class B Handicap.
