Trainer John Leek prepares Tuskegee Airman before its secondplaced run in the sixth event. Pictures: Luke Plummer.Brad Kingsbury
PAKENHAM hosted Monday’s transferred Moe Racing Club meeting with a riding double to Ivan Culliver and Vlad Duric’s seventh winner in three days among the highlights.
Track manager Brendan Short prepared a wellbalanced racing surface, despite the racecourse having hosted four meetings in as many weeks, including two transferred from neighbouring venues.
The Moe track was deemed unsuitable for racing with more recovery time needed after the recent installation of sand slits.
Moe club manager, David Mckinnon, confirmed that the 3 April fixture would be staged at Moe and said the club also had big plans for the annual Anzac Day meeting.
Culliver booted home consecutive winners on Monday in the fourth and fifth races, when Je Nais Sais Pas and Regardez Moi saluted after patient rides.
Duric rode his 1000th career winner on Fighting Laila in the $10,000 Monacellars Handicap, while fellow local hoop David Taggart also graced the winners’ list after a superb ride on outsider Sonic Hit in the third event.
The disappointment of the afternoon was the defeat of locally prepared galloper Tuskegee Airman that started as a shortpriced favourite to win the sixth race for the husbandandwife trainer and jockey team of John and Andrea Leek.
