KEY POINTS:
A third shot at the Winter Cup could be on the cards for Star O' The Ball after she won for the first time in more than two years at Awapuni on Saturday.
Star O' The Ball was beaten by half a neck when second to Don't Ya
Lovett in the 2005 Winter Cup and finished eighth in last year's group three event.
This year's Winter Cup (1600m), which carries a stake of $125,000, is run at Riccarton on August 4 and Wanganui co-trainer Jennifer Rayner was hopeful Saturday's win would be sufficient to gain a start in the race.
"We needed to do that," Rayner said after Star O' The Ball won the $16,000 rating 92 event over 1600m.
It was the Jetball 6-year-old mare's first win since scoring in the $50,000 Interprovincial (1600m) at New Plymouth in 2005.
Star O' The Ball has now won five from 44 starts but her most notable statistic is nine second placings.
Hat-trick for Dubhdara
Dubhdara stamped himself a very promising winter galloper when completing a hat-trick by winning the $40,000 Central Districts Winter Championship (1400m) on Saturday.
Dubhdara, a 3-year-old, went into the race the equal youngest of the 16-horse field and the least experienced with six previous starts.
But the Shinko King gelding got home strongly in a three-way finish to beat Intersect by a half a neck with the same margin to Wakefield third. It was Dubhdara's fourth win which have all been scored on wet tracks.
"We might put in a late nomination for the Winter Cup now," trainer Karen Zimmerman said.
Breakthrough win for Slah
The $50,000 Ryder Stakes (1200m) for 2-year-olds at Otaki on July 28 will be the next assignment for Slah who broke through for his first win at Awapuni on Saturday.
Slah scored by a nose in a $10,000 event over 1200m for 2-year-olds after having been placed three times from five previous starts.
Slah was yesterday having his first start for nearly four months and Otaki trainer Rachael Frost said it was likely the horse would continue racing into the spring.
"He seems to handle all types of going and he can keep going through to the spring," Frost said.
Praise The Lord to return
Praise The Lord is likely to return to flat racing in the $40,000 Parliamentary Handicap (2200m) at Trentham on Saturday.
Praise The Lord finished third in the Hawkes Bay Hurdles at Hastings last weekend but had won his two previous races on the flat, including the $22,000 Raukawa Cup (2000m) at Otaki on June 23.
- NZPA