Rain and mud wasn’t enough to stop Kylie’s Rocking from snagging a narrow victory at Armidale Racecourse on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Paddy Cunningham-trained mare sat toward the front of the pack for much of the race and it was anyone’s game as they entered the home stretch.
Kylie’s Rocking and the Todd Payne-trained Roman Silver broke away from the rest and it was a fight to the finish.
By the time they hit the finishing post, Kylie’s Rocking had edged out Roman Silver to win by a nose.
Cunningham said the heavy track conditions played a part in how jockey Jackson Murphy rode the mare to the victory in the 1300 metre race.
"She is not known as a real good wet tracker so we just had to tell the apprentice that was riding her to hold her head up and hold on to her as long as he could because if she starts slipping, she won't really like going forward,” he said.
"She had to fight pretty hard.
"She got to the front and then she was starting to feel the pinch a little bit, in the wet and going when he did but she had enough momentum to keep going.”
Cunningham and Murphy combined earlier in race three for Our Minaan to finish fourth.
Cunnigham said she just couldn’t hold on over the 1900 metres.
Armidale Jockey Club’s secretary manager Jim Dedes said despite the weather, there was still plenty of people on hand to enjoy the day’s racing.
"We have to be thankful to the jockeys, owners and trainers that brought the horses up,” he said.
"We were quite happy with the day, it turned out alright considering it never stopped raining all day.
"If it wasn't for the weather we probably would have had twice the crowd there but at least we got through the day.
"Some people think you might only have one or two races and then have them called off.”
It was a successful day for local trainers with Guyra’s Ian Cook finishing second with Sathern in race one.
Another Guyra trainer in Paul Grills won race three with Muddy Hole. Terry Vidler’s Shadow Boss was pipped at the post by Roulette Belle for second place.