A LATE double to Chris Heywood moved the Wagga trainer into the lead with two weeks left in the Southern District Racing Association trainers premiership race.
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After some bad luck earlier in the meeting, Heywood scored wins with Asunder and Leucura in the last two races at Murrumbidgee Turf Club's meeting.
After Class Clown narrowly missed out in a photo finish, Combine lost rider Nick Heywood shortly after the start.
Heywood was uninjured in the incident and it wasn’t until after the last that his father was able to smile.
“It’s nice,” Chris Heywood said after moving ahead.
“We’ll see how we go with two meetings to go.
“I never thought I’d get there.”
Leucura made it back to back wins at Wagga as he finished too strong for Oh No Gecko.
Helped by a four-kilogram claim from Mitchell Aitken, who finished the meeting with four winners, Leucura stormed home late to win by 2½ lengths.
Even with Aitken’s claim he had to carry 62kgs, two more than his nearest rival.
Heywood was impressed by the performance.
“To carry that much weight and win like he did shows he’s a classy horse,” Heywood said.
Asunder made it back to back wins in the Battlers Cup (1300m) after taking out the benchmark 50 handicap in both years that it’s been run.
Heywood came into the meeting one behind Trevor Sutherland but his duel success leaves him in a strong position to claim his first premiership.
Simon Miller’s win on Catch Ya Slater made the race for the jockeys premiership even closer.
Nick Souquet holds a one-win lead from both John Kissick and Miller with two meetings left in the region this season.
Narrandera is set to race next Sunday before Wagga holds the last meeting on July 24.
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