McDougall upstaged the city visitors to win the inaugural medal last year, and went back-to-back last week to remain the only winner of the award.

McDougall snared a winning double on both Thursday and Friday to finish on 16 points, three clear of his nearest danger, Shaun Guymer.

McDougall admitted the win did not come as easy as he hoped heading into the carnival.

"It's a good honour," McDougall said.

"After the scratchings and that, it was going to make it a bit difficult I thought. I had two scratchings each day and they were some of my better chances too, but it all worked itself out in the end.

"After the first day, Shaun and I were pretty close and we both had five rides on the Friday and two good chances. Thankfully my two won and his didn't."

The Albury-based jockey said it was a different kind of satisfaction to win the medal this year.

"The first year I wanted to win it because it was a new concept, and a good concept for Tye. With Wagga being one of my home tracks, I really wanted to win it again, especially with no other city jocks coming down."

McDougall was robbed of his Wagga Gold Cup ride when Godolphin scratched the group one winner from the race on Thursday.

"I was filthy," he said.

"It was a shame. A slow track and he probably still runs, and you have a benchmark 80 horse winning the race. Anyway, that's how it goes."

There has been no rest for the well-travelled McDougall, who celebrated his birthday on Monday with a winner at Hawkesbury.

Due to a suspension incurred on Foxborough in the Guineas, McDougall will be sidelined from May 11-20.

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THREE-time Country Championship finalist Bennelong Dancer has been retired.

Connections of the talented Albury mare called time on her racing career after her last-start failure at Bathurst last Saturday week.

Bennelong Dancer retires with four wins and eight minor placings to her name, from 23 career starts. More impressively, she earned $265,475.

Her career highlight came in 2019 when winning the SDRA Country Championships Qualifier at Albury, before going on to run third in the final.

Albury trainer Donna Scott, who raced the mare with her family, could not have been happier with

"My mare is off to the breeding barn," Scott told The Border Mail.

"She produced one of the worst performances of her career at Bathurst so I had the vet go over her. The vet couldn't find anything and when mares lose their will to compete, that's the end of them.

"She has done us all proud and boasts an impressive record.

"Because of her high rating, it's hard to find suitable races for her and she doesn't like wet tracks either so it's the wrong time of the year for her.

"Hopefully she can be as successful as a broodmare as she was on the track."

Blaike McDougall, who steered Bennelong Dancer to three of her four wins, said the time was right to retire the mare.

"She was a great horse to me and we had a lot of luck together," McDougall said.

"I can't wait to see what she throws."

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WAGGA Gold Cup winner House Of Cartier is set to back up in Saturday's $200,000 Gosford Gold Cup (2000m) at Randwick.

Cup-winning trainer John Sargent declared the back-up as an option on Friday and has accepted with his mare.

Unfortunately the barrier draw has not been as kind to House Of Cartier, coming up with barrier 17, with Brenton Avdulla to ride.

It will be interesting to see how Gold Cup scratchings, Best Of Days and Greysful Glamour, perform. They were the two favourites in the Wagga Gold Cup market before they were pulled out due to the heavy track.

The track at Randwick was rated a soft seven on Wednesday.

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ALL eyes turn to Leeton Jockey Club on Thursday for its annual Cup meeting.

The $12,000 Coprice Leeton Cup Benchmark 58 Handicap (1600m) is the feature on the card.

Pittsburgh is the top weight with 65 kilograms but will carry 61kg after the claim of apprentice jockey Danielle Scott. The main opposition will come from Gary Colvin's in-form mare Bravado Lass and Geoff Duryea's pair Kapover and Dottledo.

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COROWA mare News Girl has drawn ideally at Caulfield on Saturday.

News Girl was a scratching from the $160,000 Wagga Town Plate (1200m) last Thursday due to the heavy track and has been saved for another trip to Caulfield.

She will contest the $100,000 Open Handicap (1100m), where she has drawn gate eight. Apprentice Lewis German's claim means News Girl will carry just 53kg.

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THE Wagga Town Plate was the final start for accomplished Canberra sprinter Fell Swoop.

Trainer Matt Dale and connections made the call after the eight-year-old finished 10^th, beaten 14 lengths, last Thursday.

He earned just under $2 million in prizemoney and performed at group one level 15 times, finishing second in the Oakleigh Plate, TJ Smith and Mankiato back in 2016.

He started and finished his career at Wagga.

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A BIG thank you to Kylie Shaw at Trackpix Racing Photography for her help at last week's Wagga Gold Cup carnival.

With The Daily Advertiser shut out of the Murrumbidgee Turf Club, like the rest of the public, due to COVID-19, Trackpix came to the rescue and delivered images of the big races in a timely and professional manner.

Head to trackpix.com.au to check out all of the pictures from the Gold Cup carnival.

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GALLOPS

Thursday: Leeton (TAB)

Sunday: Wagga (TAB)

TROTS

Friday: Wagga (TAB)

Tuesday: Wagga (TAB)

DOGS

Sunday: Temora (TAB)