Duo making mark on Cannon track
TRAINER Stephen Massingham and apprentice jockey Adin Thompson are proving to be a formidable duo at Cannon Park, after the pair combined for a running double at the track yesterday.
The trainer-jockey combo took out the Edmonton Plumbing Class 6 Handicap with Lattimer and the Australasian Point of Sale Class 3 with Good As Done in the day’s fourth and fifth races.
The same two horses, along with Massingham’s Flying One More, gave the trainer three wins at the last meeting in Cairns on February 11.
He said Lattimer had been nothing but impressive since he arrived at his stable from Tablelands trainer Roy Chilemmi, but Good As Done was still a work in progress.
“He just needs to learn to chill out a little bit and not get so uptight,” he said. “Not only on racedays but every day of the week. But I think he could be a really nice horse.”
Massingham also lauded the efforts of apprentice jockey Adin Thompson.
The young hoop has been in such tremendous form that it seems wrong to call him an “apprentice”. “The kid is flying,” he said. “Without his (apprentice) claim you probably don’t win these races,” he said.
“It’s a pleasure getting him up here and riding for us.”
But the trainer said he wasn’t sure how long the teenage jockey would keep coming up.
“He’s moved to Brisbane now,” he said.
“He’s still got a long way to go and a lot to learn, but he’s willing to.
“He’s a great worker. Just this week he was telling me how he gets up at 1 o’clock every morning down in Toowoomba to drive 2.5 hours to ride work for his boss at Doomben.
“That just goes to show how dedicated these fellas are.”
Good As Done narrowly pipped the Michael Leetrained Sparkly Star in Race 5 by just 0.1 lengths.
“It was a very close race,” said Lee.
“It was also a very strong race and not his (Sparkly Star’s) distance,” he said.
“He needs a little bit further – around the 1100 to 1200m.
“Today, he had no time to have a little breather, whereas if he goes up to 1200m he will keep coming.
“I think he will be fitter next time out, but I’m not sure when that will be just yet. We might look at taking him to Mackay or Rockhampton.
“Hopefully I can put something on him to keep him a bit straighter too.”