What more can we say about Begood Toya Mother (Myboycharlie x Lady Of Helena)? This time in he has won his three starts by a combined 11 lengths! He is going through his grades nicely.
We must remember that this gelding is still just a four-year-old, he has graduated from 68 rated races with honours, and just maybe he might sneak into an Open Handicap on the minimum in the coming weeks, or Daniel might keep him in restricted company as to continue to see just how good this son of Myboycharlie might be.
It is hard to ignore a 6.5 length win on a metropolitan course, and we can assure you that everyone at the stable is very excited and thinking he might have black-type qualities about him in the future. However, as we saw over the weekend, anything can happen in racing. So we will let the dust settle and stay tuned to this website to find out where Begood Toya Mother is racing next.   ​

After a rough Saturday, the team bounced back with a double at Penola on Sunday, both of which were ridden by Raquel Clark who recorded a treble for the day.
Favonski (Gonski x Fast Fav) made it two in a row with a narrow albeit still dominant win. This mare’s recent wins this preparation have come over the exact same track and trip, and from her first win to her 2nd win, she has risen in the weights 5kg. Not even Makybe Diva rose 5kg in the weights when she won at the same track and trip! Yes, while a race at Penola is not exactly the Melbourne Cup, this latest win still demonstrates this mare’s progression perfectly. She has her confidence up and now will head to the Volcano race at Mount Gambier on 10 May and be very hard to beat.
Not long after Favonski saluted, Nashville Sound (Clangalang x Shezout) kept his consistent record alive with a very convincing win in the Penola Cup. This gelding has had seven starts in his career to date and has only missed a place once. As the odds-on favourite in the Cup on Sunday, he didn’t disappoint the punters winning well by five lengths. Nashville Sound will now head to a race on the Tuesday of the May Races at Warrnambool.  
Racing certainly has its ups and downs. However, we will keep our chins up, and keep powering on.
Congratulations to the owners of these two very progressive horses that won at Penola on Sunday. Both are building up good records and have some lofty targets ahead. Well done also to Raquel Clark who is riding as well as anyone in the southern states at the minute.   ​

Almost a year since making her debut, Gem 'N' Us (Moshe x La Tap) finally broke through for a dominant win at Ararat on Saturday.
Gem 'N' Us is one of the last horses, a very patient Mr Greg Mathers, bred before he passed away. His initials were G.E.M so that is how the mare got her name; and the 'us' is for Greg's wife Kath, who races the horse along with their children Karl, Jason and Lana.
After jumping cleaning, the mare found her rhythm and balance early. She managed to build momentum the entire race, which was crucial in her win. Despite having pressure from two and three horses outside her, Gem 'N' Us didn't over race, but remained calm and simply responded when hoop Jack Hill asked her to.
She cornered beautifully and because she had sustained momentum coming into the straight she was able to show us that she can build speed when asked.
Now against Winx, this speed probably wouldn't have been enough to hold off the swooping champion, but on Saturday it is what won her the race.
Congratulations to her very patient owners and its onwards and upwards from here.

On 28 December 1987, a day when most people would have been glued to the television watching the Boxing Day Test drinking stubbies, a gelding went around in a maiden at Seymour. His name was Super Impose. No one thought on this day, that short of Winx, this horse would be the best miler we have ever seen, but not many years later, it seemed to all happen in a flash.
It all started on 14 April 1990. Super Impose was a well-respected racehorse by now, but it is on this day he started his historic back-to-back Doncaster / back-to-back Epsom victories. Think about that… he won the Doncaster, a race that is happening this weekend, twice in a row… but in the spring he also won the 1600m Epsom, twice in a row! To win one of the grand mile races usually thrusts a horse towards greatness. But to win both twice with still the biggest metric weights ever carried, well this gives a horse into champion status. Super Impose achieved this and will be remembered forever for it. And it came from nowhere really. So anyone out these who owns a gelding with the Bowman stable and it has had a run or two and is going ok, then please remember old Super. 
​
April 1990 – Super Impose wins the Doncaster with 57kg as a 20-1 shot. The horse he beats is the legendary Shaftesbury Avenue who went on to win many Group 1 races. On this occasion Super had to carry 8kg more than Shaftesbury Avenue but still managed to hold him out.
October 1990 – Super Impose wins the Epsom Handicap with 58.5kg from barrier 14. The now acknowledged champion Shaftesbury Avenue runs 10th and Super still has to give him 2.5kg.
April 1991 – Super Impose wins his second consecutive Doncaster with a record 59.5kg.  Shaftesbury Avenue by now has won three Group 1 races and is the best horse in Australia. Super again gives him weight and beats him.
October 1991 – Super Impose becomes the first and still only horse to win both Randwick feature mile races in back to back years. He wins the Epsom with 61kg in the most remarkable circumstances.
April 1992 – Going for three Doncasters in a row, Super Impose with 62.kg runs 6th of 20 beaten just a length. The weight has finally caught up with him.
October 1992 – While going for three consecutive Epsoms, Super Impose, while carrying 61.5kg finishes 4th. 21 days later in his second last start he wins the Cox Plate.
So never give up! And remember where a horse has its first start doesn’t exclude it from being a champion!
https://youtu.be/QVkLJmJ8tHw
https://youtu.be/fZnCL0_yoUE
And in the spirit of the old war-horse… lets cheer for Hartnell in Saturday’s Group 1 Doncaster. ​

​The fantastically named Roddandtodd (Charge Forward x Flying Flanders) was a class above at Bendigo on Tuesday. It is not easy for a horse to lead for the entire race at Bendigo, however Roddandtodd did it quite easily, showing us that he does his best racing when on the pace.
Last start Roddandtodd sat back at Hamilton but couldn’t make any ground – yet the start before that at Donald, he sat on the pace and was beaten about three inches. He clearly looks a horse that benefits from getting into a good rhythm, and when a gelding – especially a gelding by Charge Forward gets into a good rhythm, they are hard to toss.
Roddandtodd at Bendigo gave a perfect performance of what should happen when the best horse in the race gets the best run – they generally win, and finally after coming so close over the last year and 26 days, Roddandtodd demonstrated to us exactly what he can do! ​

​The consistent mare Favonski (Gonski x Fast Fav) returned to the winner’s circle on Sunday at Penola in what was a two-horse battle with Favonski’s co-favourite Domination over 1100m on a very damp track. The most remarkable thing about this win was that it marked apprentice Raquel Clarks’ 100th South Australian win of the year. Congratulations Raquel!
Favonski has always been a very consistent mare, but for whatever she hit a bit of a lull in her preparation, but as is the old adage, once a mare hits form, they generally hold it.    
Just over a year ago, Favonski finished 3rd to a horse that started favourite in the 2018 Caulfield Cup, and was specked behind Winx in a Cox Plate, so she indeed has talent, and judging by Sunday’s win, it looks as if Favonski still has a lot in the tank and will continue to be hard to beat for the remainder of her preparation.
Congratulations to this mare’s big group of owners. She has given us eight wins from 29 starts now, so her strike rate is good. And indeed well done to Raquel Clark on what is turning out to be a stellar season in what will be her last as an apprentice