SOUTH Coast trainer Bede Murray may not have been present but he made Murrumbidgee Turf Club his own on Thursday.
The Murray stable claimed half of the eight-race program at Wagga, winning four consecutive races on Stan Sadleir Stakes day.
Count Dekroner ($3.50) started the day in fine style, before Termele ($2.30), War Prodigy ($5.00) and Chief In Command ($5.50) made it the perfect day for Murray.
Not only was it a memorable day for Murray, who is on the Gold Coast, but also one of his stable followers.
One punter backed Murray’s four winners in a multi bet on Thursday night with a corporate betting agency and watched his $5 investment salute at odds of $165.
Paul Murray, Bede’s son, represented the stable at Wagga on Thursday and was chuffed with how the day panned out.
“So far, so good,” Murray said.
“We enjoy coming down here, especially on days like this.”
Grant Buckley, who barely rides at Wagga these days, rode the first three winners for Murray.
Former Albury apprentice Brodie Loy then steered Chief In Command to victory in the Telstra Store Wagga Benchmark 65 Handicap (1400m), a Heat of the Rising Star, for apprentice jockeys only.
Loy was happy to return to the Southern District and ride a winner.
“It was good to win the heat, I’ve got a ride in a heat at Scone on Monday so it’s a bit of travelling to get to, but it’s worth it,” Loy said.
“It was good to ride a winner for Bede and it makes it a bit easier when you’re on good horses.
“I love coming here (to Wagga), it’s a great bunch of people and it’s always a good day out.”
Paul Murray was taken most by the win of Termele, a three-year-old filly who ran a class record of 57.40 in winning the Riverina Co-Operative Benchmark 60 Handicap (1000m).
“She was very good,” he said.
“As a three-year-old, it’s very hard to beat the older horses at this time of year but she did it easy.”
Paul himself helped make the day better for the Murray camp as his horse Alert Status worked home strongly to run second behind Termele.
Count Dekroner won the Jaegers Event Hire C,G&E Maiden Handicap (1200m), while War Prodigy took out The Rural Class One & Maiden Plate (1600m).
Meantime, it turned out to be a disastrous homecoming for top jockey Danny Beasley.
Beasley was taken to Wagga Base Hospital after being thrown off Midnight Obsession on the way to the gates for the opening race.
Beasley suffered a broken ankle, but all other scans came up clear after he was initially reporting pain in the lower back.
