Four wins for Pukekohe Park trainer

With the onset of good tracks, good racing returns and some of the local trainers produced some of their best over the past week.

Pukekohe Park trainer Nigel Tiley had four winners in two days, at three different venues.

He started off training two winners on his home track, winning with Royal Mojito and Makdanife, at the local meeting on Friday, both ridden by another local in Leith Innes. Royal Mojito is a three-year-old Darci Brahma gelding who was having his first start. He is owned by Tiley’s wife Lee and her sister Mandy.

Makdanife is a four-year-old by the Westbury Stud stallion Makfi, who had a couple of placings in the autumn, he was having his second start in a new campaign, and looks to have learnt how to race.

Tiley took a couple of horses to Trentham and Megablast dealt to his opposition with aplomb. Racing in a rating 85 2400 metre race, he cruised up to the opposition on the turn and ran away to win by three-quarters of a length in the hands of Jonathan Parkes. Megablast will now be aimed at the group three Counties Cup on November 19.

Further south, his three-yearold Showcasing filly Midnight Gossip, was having her first start since March, when she got up to win over 1200 metres. She will stay in the South Island and attempt the New Zealand 1000 Guineas on November 12.

Midnight Gossip was ridden by Alysha Collett who once again owned the Riccarton track scoring three winners including a listed race win on Nymph Monte. A gelding by Tavistock, trained at Opaki near Masterton by Grant Nicholson, he was too good over 2000 metres, settling in third place in the running and cruising to the lead in the straight. He won by four lengths, and will now be aimed at the group three New Zealand Cup also on November 12. Collett’s third winner was Prom Queen in the 800 metre two-yearold event. She was having her first start for Ruakaka trainers Lisa and Kenny Rae and is the first winner for her Te Kauwhata based sire Super Easy. Closer to home at Ellerslie Byerley Park trainers were enjoying success at Ellerslie. James Bridge presented a smart two-year-old winner in Gilhoolie, who in the hands of Mark du Plessis led all the way in the 880 metre scamper.

Du Plessis was also successful on the O’Reily mare Emily Monk who won the open 1400 metre event stylishly for her trainers Peter and Dawn Williams and Paul Richards. This was the mare’s seventh career win, and her first race since last autumn where she managed to string together four wins before being defeated at group level.

The combination of du Plessis and Williams/Richards was also successful at Counties on Friday with the lightly raced and well performed Tavistock gelding Firejet.