Image: Supplied by Mungindi Jockey Club.
St George product Pat Webster grew up going to the Mungindi races, but once he turned his hand to training, a win in the Mungindi Cup had always eluded him.
The popular country stable, now based in Toowoomba, always attempts to have a runner or two at the annual North West meeting, and they spent a frustrating stretch between 2011-2014, finishing with four consecutive runners-up in the time-honoured Mungindi Cup.
In 2011, Bang Clang Alang was downed by the Jane Clement-trained Liberty Edition, and in 2012, Cash In A Hurry was beaten by the Peter Mills-trained Gold Buckle.
Shakes was an excellent country horse for the stable and finished runner-up in 2013 when knocked off by the Wayne Oakenfull-trained Looped.
Shakes returned the following year and finished third, while stablemate Big Bad Joel ran second, but both went down to North West champion Tapakeg from the Peter Sinclair yard.
“I’m from St George and spent most of my life there, but moved down to Toowoomba 14 or 15 months ago, but I trained out of there for years,” Webster said.
“I have been going to the Mungindi meeting since I was about eight or ten, and I’ve run about four seconds there in the cup but had never won it.”
That changed on Saturday, with Webster celebrating his first Mungindi Cup success.
The stable sent just one runner, with Palate starting as the $2.40 favourite.
With apprentice jockey Tamara Noble in the saddle, the five-year-old proved too classy, putting three lengths on the Jane Clement-trained Amazingly (Wendy Peel, $4.60) and almost four lengths on the third-placed Ah Well (Jacob Golden, $8) from the Peter Sinclair yard.
“It’s always great to get a cup winner, and a winner anywhere is good,” Webster said.
“One of the owners was there, and he got the cup, trophy, and sash, and it was a bloody good day, and good to win the race finally,” Webster said.
The Toowoomba trainer nearly didn’t run Palate, and he thanked owner Graham Wippell for making the 240-kilometre round trip from St George to Mungindi to inspect the track.
“We actually didn’t decide to go until Friday, and one of the owners drove across from St George to look at the track for us because we didn’t want to race her on something rock-hard,” Webster said.
“He got across there and said it looked good, and we decided to push on with it.
“Plus, we couldn’t find a suitable race around here for a couple of weeks, so we gave her a run in the cup, and that’s more her go, these good little Country Cup races.”
Webster praised Noble, whose Mungindi Cup-winning ride was her second career victory after she broke through for a maiden win at Gayndah last month.
“That’s the first time she’s hopped on for me,” Webster said.
“She’s an apprentice in Toowoomba, and I didn’t have a jockey phone me to ride her (Palate), and another trainer, Garry Schwenke from Warwick, he rang me and asked if I would put her on.
“He said he had another horse in and would put her on if she went, and he said she was riding well for him, and that’s how it all came about.
“It worked out well because she is sort of an apprentice’s horse, and she likes it up the front.”
Noble, who only had the 13 rides under her belt, took the instructions on board, and her ride proved the difference in the end.
“I gave her two scenarios; we planned to lead, but I said if Ringside kicks up, let it go and sit on its outside,” Webster said.
“I didn’t want her to go trying to race Ringside in the first couple of hundred (metres), and she sat off it really well, and they gave a strong kick in the straight to win.”
The Mungindi result adds to a collection of NSW wins for Webster in 2023, with Miss Cinnamoncider winning at Inverell in January, while Decider was too good in the 1310m Maiden Handicap at Ballina on Thursday.
“It’s a really good option for us being here,” Webster said.
“We went to Moree and won a race not long ago, and Ballina, Lismore and those places are not a big ask for us, and it’s just a day trip.”
Worley, Sweedman, and Waldron land Mungindi doubles
Image: Supplied by Mungindi Jockey Club.
As always, it was a big day at Mungindi, with a good North West crowd on hand for the six-race non-TAB program.
Jodi Worley rode a double, firstly guiding the Stacey Mesken-trained Sir Johny ($2.40) to a win in the 1200m Maiden Plate before helping the Ben Waldron-trained Peshwa ($1.50) to victory in the 1400m Class One Handicap.
Waldron, who trains out of Roma, finished with a double, and Scott Sweedman delivered him the first of his victories when winning on Rogue Star ($5) in the 1200m Benchmark 50 Handicap.
Sweedman’s second winner was on the Geoff O’Brien-trained Super Hot ($3.80), with the Quirindi galloper a class above his rivals in the 1000m Benchmark 45 Handicap.
Dubbo jockey Wendy Peel was also in the winner’s circle, riding the Michael Laine-trained Collagen Queen to victory in the 1000m Maiden plate.
For all Mungindi results, click here.
