Challenging weather shakes up Albany’s Boxing Day Races, local trainers shine across the seven-race card

Jockey Alex Hearn finished with a winning double and there was plenty of success for local trainers on the annual Boxing Day Races card in Albany. Hearn guided Deadly And Fast and Fight In Flight to victory on the seven-race card in front of a huge crowd at Percy Spencer Racecourse on December 26. Albany trainers Indianna Weinert, Alan Smith, Liam O’Loughlin, Ashleigh Woollett, Samantha Faithfull and Roy Rogers all tasted victory as well. Ryan Hill’s mare Lyn’s Star broke her maiden status by winning the TABTouch Have You Got The Touch Maiden (1600m), leading all the way to down the Steve Wolfe-trained Sea of Galilee with Tash Faithfull aboard. The Statewide Horse Transport Maiden (1240m) went to Weinert’s Chiminy Blue ($9), nailing his first win after gunning down race favourite Nailed’Em in the final 100m. Deadly And Fast saluted at $13 for Hearn and Smith in the Wellington and Reeves Sales Handicap (1940m). The seven-year-old gelding finished strongly to down Weinert’s Mister Popcorn, the race favourite at $2.60. Hearn got Deadly and Fast into good position near the front of the field, with Top Of The Pops and No Second Thoughts breaking away as the early leaders but running out of steam in the home straight as Hearn rode vigorously to get his mount over the line. Fight in Flight delighted punters as $3 favourite in the Wellington And Reeves Commercial Handicap (1500m) for O’Loughlin, coming from dead last and making a bold move around the entire field to clinch the win by half a head. The Woollett-trained Secret Stones won the Wellington and Reeves Residential Handicap (1100m), getting past frontrunners Delicate Ruler and Dynamite Bay in the dying stages to score the closest win of the day, beating Samantha Faithfull’s Prince by a nose. Mother-daughter duo Tash and Samantha Faithfull continued their winning form with Wineaclocksumwhere, with the four-year-old gelding making it three wins from his last four starts in race six over 1240m. Wineaclocksumwhere shot straight to the front and held off a late challenge from The Spruiker to win by more than a length. Rogers had a win in the final race of the day with Gingerquest ($13), with jockey Amy-Jo Hayes finding a gap on the final turn and getting the four-year-old gelding through to win over Cruise To Rio.