When Goulburn local Wayne Hudd arrived at Wellington Race Club for the first time on Tuesday and saw the track’s iconic downhill run into the straight, it didn’t exactly fill him with confidence.
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He was unsure how Bare Foot Babe, his steady without being spectacular mare, would handle the track while the five-year-old was also coming off a disappointing fifth-placed finish when down in grade at Canberra last start.
But Hudd did have one thing in his favour – champion hoop Greg Ryan in the saddle.
Ryan collected yet another win at the track where he learned his trade, riding Bare Foot Babe to a comfortable win in the Notts Rural and Domestic Benchmark 55 Handicap (1100m).
“I hadn’t been here before so it was a bit of an eye-opener when I looked up the straight. There’s not much of a run in,” Goulburn-based Hudd said.
“But Greg summed it up pretty quickly and that makes all the difference.
“I was disappointed in her run in Canberra and with this being a new track I wasn’t overly confident but it’s pleasing to get the win.”
The victory was Bare Foot Babe’s third in 17 starts but Hudd wasn’t getting too carried away. The trainer said he’ll continue to “poke around the bush” with his small team of seven
Bare Foot Babe may step up in distance in the near future, something Hudd didn’t think was likely before Tuesday, following the convincing win at Wellington.
Bare Foot Babe ($2.25 favourite) got away well from gate four and settled third behind the Kody Nestor-trained Vixen Lass ($5) and How One Knows ($6).
Ryan moved three wide heading into the straight and powered on to a two-and-a-half length win from the fast-finishing Emo Girl ($41) and New Player ($20).
While the race was another example of Ryan’s talents, the leading jockey missed out in the next two events when riding short-price favourites.
And Ryan’s pain was the locals’ gain.
Bare Foot Babe’s win was followed up by a victory for Butter Toast ($15), a newcomer to the Wellington stables of Michael Mulholland, while hometown hoop Daniel Pitomac was in the saddle.
Pitomac got the job done again in the next event, winning with Harry New Shoes($6) for another Wellington trainer, Jim McMillan.
Not to be outdone, Pitomac’s wife Kath Bell-Pitomac also got in the action on Tuesday and scored with Demonize to hand Mulholland a winning double.
Bell-Pitomac took out the Allandale Merino Stud CG&E Benchmark 58 Handicap (1100m) with Demonize, who again proved he’s best first-up from a spell when scoring from barrier 12.
“He’s a fresh horse,” Mulholland told Sky Thoroughbred Central.
“He likes being out wide and rolling on. When he’s on the fence he gets lost.”
Dubbo trainer Clint Lundholm bagged an early double at the meet, taking out the opening event with Bold Lady ($12) while Fire Flight ($3.70 favourite) scored his third win in four starts when taking out the fifth of the day.
