ALBURY trainer Mitch Beer believes Sunrise Ruby did her Kosciuszko chances no harm at all with a midweek second placing at Randwick on Wednesday.
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Beer opted for a midweek city assignment over the Ian Reid Sprint at Wagga with his stable star and it almost paid full dividends.
Sunrise Ruby ($7.50) took some time to get into the clear in the straight but closed strongly to finish second, beaten three quarters of a length by Calgary Queen ($3.60).
"She was awesome. She just just keeps improving," Beer said.
"She's gone from 58 grade, to a Highway to midweek grade, albeit she got beat by a horse that was well-supported and was coming back from running third in a stakes race.
"She just ran into one better."
The performance saw her remain firm at $26 in TAB's Kosciuszko market.
Beer has no intention to start the mare again before slots are drawn on September 9. If she does not get a spot in the race, she will head to the paddock with the Country Championships in mind.
Meantime, the 10 per cent share in Albury sprinter Jawwaal was sold for $5000 on Inglis Digital on Wednesday.
Jawwaal ran fifth at Randwick on Wednesday after being caught three wide without cover for the trip.
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COROWA trainer Geoff Duryea was happy with the return of Front Page at Moonee Valley last Saturday.
Front Page finished fourth, beaten two lengths, behind Corner Pocket in the Benchmark 90 Handicap (1200m) in what was his first run in 12 months.
Duryea has earmarked another race at Moonee Valley on Saturday week, or the group two Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m) at Flemington the week after, as the next assignment for Front Page.
"Obviously he needed the run, he was a bit new, 1200 first up, I hadn't been able to trial or even give him a jump out so it was like a barrier trial for him, but he acquitted himself well. He's pulled up really well," Duryea told Sky Sports Radio on Wednesday.
"The main thing is we've got a run into him now and hopefully we can move on and keep our program on track.
"I'm sure with this run under his belt, he'll be a lot better. Hopefully in the next couple of starts he can get back to his proper form and show them he's more than worthy of going up (to Sydney for the Kosciuszko)."
Meantime, stablemate News Girl is still a few weeks away from a return.
News Girl had a jump out at Wangaratta on Monday, finishing fourth behind Northernero on a heavy track.
Duryea wasn't overly happy with the hit-out and will look to give News Girl another barrier trial before she makes her return.
"She definitely needs another hit out before she goes to the races," Duryea said.
News Girl is out to $21 for the Kosciuszko, while Front Page remains firmly in the market at $6.00.
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TOP Melbourne trainer Ciaron Maher has lavished praise on Wagga apprentice jockey Josh Richards.
Richards made it back-to-back city winners over consecutive Saturdays for the Maher-Eustace team when steering Smokin' Romans to victory at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Richards has ridden 15 winners from 49 rides for Maher and Eustace since making the move to Victoria.
Maher is a big fan.
"He's really making every post a winner," Maher told Racing.Com after the win.
"I didn't know much about him until he got down here, he was riding at a very high percentage rate for us and he was claiming three in the bush. I thought it was a gift. Now he's into town and he's ridden a couple of winners for us.
"It was a pretty confident right, he had to be fairly strong and keep striding forward early and that three kilo claim kicked in. He got some nice cheap sectionals down the back, he give them a breather from doing a bit of work.
"He sort of rides with bit of an older head than he is."
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TOP Southern District jockey John Kissick hopes to be back in the saddle by November.
Kissick this week gained approval from the surgeon to put full weight on his leg, following a freak accident back in May.
Kissick was aboard Best Not Say behind the barriers on Wagga Town Plate day when he was struck by a horse kicking out. It resulted in a badly broken leg in four places and surgery.
Kissick will have another X-ray in eight weeks time, where he hopes to be given approval to return to riding afterwards.
"It is healing well and the surgeon was very happy with it," Kissick said.
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EXPERIENCED jockey Simon Miller will return to the Southern District riding scene now his Darwin venture has finished.
Miller returned to the region with five rides at Berrigan last Saturday, where he finished with three second placings.
Miller spent a couple of months in the Northern Territory, going on to ride at Katherina and Alice Springs once the Darwin carnival was over. He claimed the biggest win of his career in the Palmerston Sprint.
He is now back in Albury but is keen to return to the top end again.
"It was a terrific experience and I ended up staying three weeks longer than I originally planned," Miller told The Border Mail.
"It's definitely something that I'm keen to do again in the future for sure."
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MURRUMBIDGEE Turf Club (MTC) announced their premiership winners during the week.
Gary Colvin cleaned up, taking out the MTC trainer's premiership, the Wagga-based Trainer of the Year and the Wagga-based Trainer Strike Rate.
The Norm Gardner-trained Stand Your Ground won MTC's horse premiership, on a countback from Huntly Castle and Magnavale.
Blaike McDougall won the MTC jockey's premiership.
The Colvin-trained Mahsinger was named Wagga-based horse and stayer premierships, while stablemate Sizzling Cat won the three-year-old award.
Tim Donnelly's Participator won the two-year-old premiership.
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WHAT'S ON
GALLOPS
Thursday: Wagga (TAB)
TROTS
Friday: Wagga (TAB)
Tuesday: Young (TAB)
DOGS
Friday: Wagga (TAB)
