LEAFY Green handed Armidale trainer Stirling Osland a winning start to a big day on his track on Tuesday.

The two-year-old bay filly, a daughter of Salade, was having her first run and won at good odds ($19) in the Armidale City Bowling Club/Moree Services Club 2YO Handicap (1100m).

She continued his good season which ramped up with Radiant Choice’s Highway Handicap win at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

She was also Stirling’s 17th winner of the Hunter and North West Racing Association to leave him equal fourth on the trainer’s premiership with Tamworth’s Sue Grills.

Stirling also had another four runners running at Armidale and thought all had good chances.

RACE TWO

Grove Street then handed Inverell trainer Scott Dixon his third win of the HNWRA season when the four-year-old gelding son of Money Or The Gun won the Gunnedah Services & Bowling Club/Inverell RSM Club 3YO and Upwards Maiden (1100m).

He had told jockey Craig Franklin not to be afraid to lead and try and scoot away down and around the home turn.

Franklin did just that and the gelding did that to notch a second win at his ninth start.

“He’s been promising that for a while,” Scott Dixon said.

“Drew a barrier (6) today. The last few he’d drawn off the track.”

He and Craig Franklin had talked about if Grove Street “got a soft lead” from barrier six to “kick him away at the top of the straight”.

Grove Street won by almost two and a half lengths.

RACE THREE

Fudgewedge then led and won impressively for Wyong trainer Allan Kehoe in the Uralla Bowling & Recreation Club/Narrabri RSL Club Maiden Handicap (1400m).

“She’ll only get better from that,” Allan Kehoe said of the three-year-old filly’s first win at five attempts.

RACE FOUR

Dustman also improved, thanks to a rails hugging run from Matthew McGuren to win the Armidale Servies Club Benchmark 60 Handicap (1400m).

The six-year-old gelding son of Wonderful World notched a fifth career win at his 19th start.

“It was a good ride,” trainer Todd Fletcher agreed when interviewed by Sky Thoroughbred Central’s Gary Kliese post-race.

“That’s his pattern of racing though to get back and get home.”

The Grafton trainer said the gelding’s last two runs have been his best “this prep”.

RACE 5

IT’S ladies day at Tamworth Jockey Club on Saturday and while the club honours one of its late, great supporters and admits all ladies free it doesn’t offer any free runs for a myriad of female trainers.

One of the six races on the TAB-covered meeting is the Noelene Martin Memorial Class 2 Handicap (1000m), a race named in honour of the former long serving committee person who also championed the ladies day theme.

Admittance for ladies is free on a day where 17 female trainers from across the region nominated 34 horses earlier this week.

Leading that list was Tamworth-based Sue Grills.

She nominated six of her stable for the meeting and currently sits equal fourth on the Hunter and North West Racing Association with 17 wins for the local season.

Bendemeer’s Jane Clement, Gunnedah’s Sally Torrens, Natasha Antonio-Hall and Tamworth’s Melissa Dennett also nominated three runners and Debbie Wilson, Karen Fox and Sandra Ollerton entered two.

Sue Bigg, Danielle Seib, Theresa Stair, Kristen Buchanan, Karen McCarroll, Sarah Gaffaney, Nancy Stewart, Marilyn Knott, Michelle Fleming and Lesley Jeffriess all nominated one runner apiece.

For Jeffriess that’s half her stable at the moment.

“Only got two in work at the moment,” she said after Husonique won Tuesday’s Tamworth Servies Group/ Glen Innes and District Services Club Benchmark 70 Handicap (1900m) at Armidale.

Call Me Brad, who was unplaced at Dubbo last week, will run Saturday, she said.

Husonique backed up strongly to run down Stella’s Chance at Armidale to score a narrow but decisive win, the sixth in 30 starts for the six-year-old gelding son of Husson.

He’s struck form,” Lesley Jeffriess said.

“A good win today and a good ride.”

She believes the 1900m/2000m distance is his best but doesn’t have a concrete plan with him as yet promising to return to Tamworth and have a look in the AJC calendar .

“He’s getting a bit dour,” she in backing a continued campaign over a staying distance.

She thinks Call Me Brad will run a race at Tamworth on Ladies Day too.

“He should have finished a lot closer at Dubbo,” she said.

RACE 6

MR PUMBLECHOOK burst into country cups contention when the lightly raced Tamworth gelding won Tuesday’s $20,000 ClubsNSW Winter Dash Open Handicap (1100m) at Armidale.

The Cody Morgan-trained gelding son of More Than Ready was perfectly ridden by Newcastle apprentice Louise Day. The Mark Hatch-trained Iwatani finished strongly from back in the field for a gallant second but all the accolades were with four-year-old Mr Pumblechook.

He was having just his 16th start and chalked up win number four for his Tamworth trainer, who believes there are much bigger successes on his horizon.

“I think the next 12 months he can win two or three country Cups, no worries,” Cody Morgan told Sky Thoroughbred Central’s Gary Kliese.

The 1400m Maclean Cup at Grafton during next month’s huge July Racing Carnival is likely to be his first country cup mission, Morgan told Kliese.

Morgan was full of praise for apprentice Louise Day as well.

“He had to step up a grade today,” Kliese said.

Morgan agreed adding: “When you ride like that it really helps,” he said of Day’s effort.

“She rode him like a senior jockey.”

Mr Pumblechook has become a “stable favourite” Cody admitted and thanking the gelding’s owners for sending the gelding to him.

“I am very lucky,” he said.

RACE 7

ROSE Of Eastbourne retained her composure to continue Stephen Jones’ good run at Armidale on Tuesday.

The four-year-old daughter of Danzero can “go to pieces” before races but was at her best for Luke Cumberland to win the West Tamworth Leagues Club Class 1 Handicap (1100m)  in positive fashion.

Luke Cumberland said the mare raced well in the 1100m sprint.

“She ran good, raced well in behind them, had a good kick and tried her heart out,” Cumberland told Sky Thoroughbred Racing.

Scone trainer Stephen Jones was delighted she was able to win her second race at her seventh start and had not exhibited some bad traits of late.

“She likes Armidale,” Stephen Jones said.

“Won her two starts here, wish they were on here again in a fortnight. When she goes to the races though sometimes she sweats up and goes to pieces. When she’s like that she’s hard to have. Her last run at Scone and then at Moree she was like that. Her other runs have been good.”

That included Armidale.

Jones also celebrated his ninth win of the Hunter and North West Racing Association season.

“Things are going good, had a little bit of luck lately,” Jones added.

“All the horses are going nicely.”