Racing: Extra Explosive adds icing to cake for Oaks trainer

Waikato jockey David Walsh had a memorable day at Foxton yesterday, winning the listed Castletown Stakes on Extra Explosive and the Foxton Cup on Halls.

Extra Explosive's win also completed a marvellous Queen's Birthday Weekend for Matamata trainer Andrew Scott, who had two winners at Brisbane's Eagle Farm on Saturday, including the Queensland Oaks, with Miss Keepsake.

"It was an awesome weekend for Scotty. What a way to cap it off," said Walsh.

The veteran jockey has a great record at the Foxton course, and reckons he has won the Foxton Cup at least five times.

He also has won the Castletown Stakes a number of times and was at his tactical best on Extra Explosive, leading with her early and angling towards the outside rail in the straight, where she held on comfortably from Pooka's Sister and Sans Souci.

"I don't think she was entirely happy in the heavy ground, but she was going better than the rest so I was able to pick a line and go where I wanted. Once I got to the outside of the track first, they were never going to run her down.

"She went nice and straight, too, which is good for a 2-year-old."

Walsh understood the 2-year-old Ekraar filly would be freshened for a tilt at the listed Ryder Stakes (1200m) at Otaki on July 31, with the Wanganui Guineas an early spring target."

"She is a quiet, relaxed filly, who has plenty of speed. She is game and has a good brain on her."

Halls' win in the cup was a form turnaround, after he finished last in the Challenge Stakes at Wanganui on Saturday.

"I'm really glad David Haworth ran him again. He got stirred up at Wanganui, so David took the gear off and told me to do what I liked.

"I tried a few things differently to trick him, because he is a cunning old thing, and he really tried and won pretty well. But it wasn't a strong field."

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Evan Rayner's Wolf Pack warmed up for bigger steeplechasing assignments later in the winter with a brave win at Ellerslie yesterday.

Wolf Pack, a rising 11-year-old, fought strongly to the line for a narrow win in the Winning Post Steeplechase after hitting a fence about 1200m out.

The former Grand National Hurdles placegetter is stepping up to the bigger fences this season and he was at Ellerslie to "get a taste of the hill" before the Great Northern in September, said the Wanganui horseman.

He will also chase the Grand National at Riccarton.

The Rayner stable almost had two successes within 10 minutes when their maiden King Guru just went under at Foxton.

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Fraser Auret's blossoming training career went up another notch when his 3-year-old filly Fabulous Princess powered through the heavy Foxton ground for her first victory.

Fabulous Princess had three races in the summer for little reward but judging by the way she won yesterday, a winter campaign should be more profitable. Opie Bosson was the rider and it was his 130th win of the season.

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Two days after winning at Wanganui, Diamondsareforever met his match in Halls in the Foxton Cup.

Halls won easily, with Jowka third and Dubhdara fourth.

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There's still plenty of gas left in Bulginbaah's tank after he went down narrowly over 1200m at Foxton.

The rising Wanganui 10-year-old was beaten out by the race-hardened Just A Whisper, ridden by Trudy Thornton, who rode Bulginbaah to victory in last year's Foxbridge Plate.

- NZPA

- additional reporting by Glenn Watson