Accomplished wet tracker Wu Gok made the most of the heavy conditions at Rosehill on Saturday, revelling in the ground when taking out the Group III Premier’s Cup (2000m).

Carrying the colours of Hermitage Thoroughbreds, made famous by the racetrack deeds of The Autumn Sun and Egg Tart, Wu Gok ($6.50) charged along the inside down the straight to record a one length win over the heavily supported Come Plate With Me.

“I rode him last start and I said to Chris ‘we just need a track with a bit of sting out of it again’ and he did. He was very well-placed, he was down in the weights,” winning jockey Tommy Berry said.

“I’ve been making an effort in the last few weeks to ride 53 (kg) on a Saturday so I could get some decent rides and I was lucky enough to get this bloke.

“I always knew they’d probably come off the rail a bit. It’s getting a bit chewed up this part of the day but he lapped it up.

“He travelled so sweetly in the run, he was so happy. He found about a length at the top of the straight and held it the whole way to the post.

“He’s a horse in form at the moment.”

Come Plate With Me, a former West Australian galloper was backed from $4.60 into $3.20 favouritism on-course, raced on the speed and while gallant in defeat, was no match for his race fit stablemate.

Rounding out the Waller-trained trifecta was Carzoff ($13) a further two-lengths away.

Waller said Wu Gok is closing in on a spell but the trainer is considering one more go for the six-year-old gelding by Sebring.

“He has been a fantastic horse through the winter,” he said.

“It was a good win, a well-deserved win for him and he might head to Wyong on Friday (for the Cup) as well to have another race before he goes out for a well-earned break.”

Waller was also pleased with the Sydney debut of Come Play With Me while also giving an update on the two he scratched – Sydney Cup winner Shraaoh and Girl Tuesday.

“The stable ran well,” he said. “Come Play With Me was excellent.

“I spoke to Adam Durrant this morning and he thought he would improve with the run and I think he is right.

“I don’t think a win is far away for him and he was beaten today by an out and out wet tracker.

 “We kept a couple at home – Shraaoh and Girl Tuesday thinking today might have been a bit tough for them at this stage of their preparation.

“Overall, I think the race was good and we’ve got some nice stayers going forward for the spring.

“There is a good selection of races. There is the Kingston Town coming up.

“Ideally you get most of them going towards The Metropolitan and a few can head down to Melbourne at some stage too.”

– Clinton Payne, racenet.com.au

It won’t be a shock to anyone that champion galloper Winx was the star performer at Thursday night’s New South Wales racehorse awards – Racing’s Night of Champions.

The Chris Waller-trained mare that rewrote racing’s record books during her illustrious career claimed three gongs at the annual awards ceremony, headlined by her fourth consecutive TAB.com.au NSW Champion Horse of the Year award.

Winx also took home the Wild Oaks Miler of the year and the New Zealand Bloodstock Middle Distance Horse of the Year.

“She’ll be remembered for all the right reasons,” Waller said. “No negatives, just a brilliant career.

“She was a pleasure to train. Obviously, a lot of time was spent analysing her preparations, the races but the fact was she was simply a class above and it was an absolute privilege to be a part of her wonderful career.”

The event was hosted by the New South Wales Racehorse Owners Association, which was in aid of Spinal Cord Injuries Australia.

“On behalf of Spinal Cord Injuries Australia and NSWROA, I would like to thank everyone for helping us “celebrate the best” of the NSW Thoroughbred industry,” NSWROA president Ray McDowell said.

“My thanks again to our wonderful sponsors, congratulations to all winners and I look forward to seeing you all again next year.”

Other award winners on the night were.

Australian Turf Club 2YO of the Year – Kiamichi

Inglis 3YO of the Year – The Autumn Sun

Australian Turf Club Sprinter of the Year – Osborne Bulls

Coolmore Australia Stayer of the Year – Shraaoh

City Tattersalls Club Queen of the Autumn – Dixie Blossoms

Sky Thoroughbred Central Country Horse of the Year – Eckstein

Sky Thoroughbred Central Provincial Horse of the Year – Angel Of Truth

Other awards presented on the night, in conjunction with Racing NSW, included the NSW Racing Writers’ Personality of the Year won by ATC employee Nini Conallin.

Nini is best known in racing as the woman that rugged Winx after her feature race wins in Sydney and in recent years she’s fought a public battle against cancer via her social media platforms, taking the Australian racing industry to a new audience all over the world.

Champion trainer Chris Waller took out his ninth consecutive The Bart Cummings Medal making it a double celebration, also picking up the T J Smith Award for the Sydney Premiership winning trainer.

Comeback jockey James McDonald claimed his third George Moore Award for Champion Sydney jockey and the Theo Green Award was presented to the champion Sydney apprentice Robbie Dolan.

BOBS Horse of the Year went to the Jason Coyle-trained River Bird while the Sydney Strapper of the Year Award was presented to Alexandra Maher from the John O’Shea stable.

– Clinton Payne, racenet.com.au

Tommy Berry has his spring rides – the likes of Libertini and Pierata are already marked in his diary. Exceedance and Kluger add further talent to his potential rides in the next couple of months, but where he will be remains less clear.

What has usually been a well-worn path through the spring from Sydney to Melbourne has changed this year. The nine straight weeks of million-dollar races have Berry and his fellow top-line riders having to choose between the racing capitals right through November.

“Someone asked when I’m getting to Melbourne [for the spring carnival] the other day and I answered, ‘Where is the spring now?’” Berry said. “You used to base yourself in Melbourne for a long time around [Victoria] Derby day, but now there are choices to be made.

“It comes down to what rides you have, really. I have a few nice ride there and hopefully there are a couple more to come. Libertini and Pierata are the main two at the moment.”

The strength of his Golden Eagle ride will determine where Berry will be on Victoria Derby day, traditionally the strongest day of racing in the spring.

He has a program for Libertini through to the Flight Stakes on the October long weekend, and Pierata is his ride for the $14 million Everest at Randwick on October 19, which will mean he spends the majority of the spring at home in Sydney.

It is where he was second in the jockeys’ premiership last season and has made his name before riding around the world. The strength of the riding ranks has him working hard, riding trackwork several mornings a week.

“It is the strongest competition in the world. If you are not working hard, going to trackwork, you don’t get the opportunities,” Berry said. “It is a bit different for me now because I have no stable links and you get more offers because of that.

“I want to finish in the top five riders again next year and would love to challenge for the premiership but I have to make up about 30 wins on James McDonald, which is tough.”

As the racing moves from its winter daze into the warmth of spring, Berry is looking for his next star to emerge on Spring Preview day at Randwick’s Kensington track on Saturday.

He was impressed by the winning debut of Pandemic at Wyong last month and believes he can step up to Saturday grade against a handy field on Saturday.

“It has been a good program for three-year-olds to go from the provincials to Sydney on Saturday in recent times, if they are good enough,” Berry said. “He has plenty of talent but he is still a bit immature, and going to the races can help them. He could be one to watch and I think he will develop in a nice horse for later in the spring.

”At this time of year you are looking for these horses to come through and you don’t know when the next one might step up.”

He reunites with Winter Challenge winner Seaway, which is looking for back-to-back wins as favourite in the Spring Preview, which sets up well for him to box seat.

“He has enough speed to put himself in the perfect spot and follow the likes of Cradle Mountain and Fabrizio,” Berry said. “He showed last time that these sort of races really set up well for him and I can see him going forward once again and being in the finish.”

He is booked for Wu Gok, which is looking for the hat-trick of wins in the Premier’s Cup Prelude, and Natalia gives him another quality chance for the afternoon.

“Natalia was disappointing last time but I think she is definitely up to Saturday grade. Wu Gok is in good form and this race is no stronger,” Berry said.

– Chris Root, The Sydney Morning Herald

Winx is still winning and she’s not even racing with the champion mare picking a treasured NSW award for a record fourth time — the only horse to achieve the feat.

Winx ran her last race in April but the mighty mare just keeps winning.

At the NSW Racehorse Owners Association Awards on Thursday night, Winx cleaned up with three major honours including the NSW Champion Horse of the Year for the 2018-19 season.

This was the fourth consecutive year Winx has won the coveted title, the only horse to achieve the feat. She was also won the Miler and Mile Distance award categories.

Champion Winx was retired to stud after scoring her 33rd consecutive win — and a world record 25th at Group 1 level — in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Randwick during The Championships last April.

Peter and Patty Tighe, who part-own Winx along with Debbie Keptitis and Richard Treweeke, made the trip from Brisbane to be at the awards ceremony.

“It’s always nice to be nominated for these awards and obviously we are very pleased that she has won the NSW Horse of the Year again,’’ Peter Tighe said.

“I think it will be a long time, if ever, that we get the opportunity to be involved in something like this again so we are just trying to take it all in and enjoy the moment.’’

Winx, regarded as one of the all-time great racehorses, is about to begin her new career as a broodmare and will be served by super sire I Am Invincible at Yarraman Park Stud early in September.

Other major winners were Golden Slipper heroine Kiamichi (2YO), The Autumn Sun (3YO), Osborne Bulls (Sprinter), Shraaoh (Stayer), Dixie Blossoms (Quene of the Autumn), Eckstein (Country) and Angel Of Truth (Provincial).

Winx trainer Chris Waller was honoured with his ninth successive Bart Cummings Medal, earning 133 points to finish well in advance of James McDonald on 67 points.

Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys praised Waller’s extraordinary feat to keep Winx racing in such outstanding form for so many years.

“But Chris and his team also train and care for hundreds of other horses on a daily basis and they must be congratulated for their professionalism and extreme dedication to our sport,’’ V’landys said.

Waller also collected the TJ Smith Award for Sydney’s premier trainer for the ninth year in succession, McDonald claimed his third George Moore Award as leading jockey, and Robbie Dolan won the Theo Green Award for champion apprentice.

Nini Vascotto won the Racing Writer’s Personality of the Year award, Alexandra Maher was Strapper of the Year and River Bird collected NSW BOBS Horse of the Year.

NSWROA AWARDS 
THE WINNERS

Winx: NSW Champion Horse of the Year, Miler of the Year, Middle-Distance Horse of the Year)

Kiamichi: Two-year-old of the Year

The Autumn Sun: Three-year-old of the Year

Angel Of Truth: Provincial Horse of the Year

Eckstein: Country Horse of the Year

Osborne Bulls: Sprinter of the Year

Shraaoh: Stayer of the Year

Dixie Blossoms: Queen of the Autumn

– Ray Thomas, Racing Editor, The Daily Telegraph