A day for local hopes and mudlarks

Coffs Harbour raceday wrap.

Races 1-3

KEN Lantry returned to his former stomping ground with great success today.

Lantry, now based at Newcastle, lived and trained out of Coffs Harbour for many years and trained many a winner from that base.

Today he returned with the Fandral, a four-year-old gelding son of I Am Invincible.

He was having his 11th start and seeking a first win in the Ballyness Maiden Handicap (1400m) although he was having just his third start for Lantry.

The gelding secured an impressive win to break through in an apt setting for Lantry.

"He's okay," Ken Lantry told Sky Thoroughbred Central.

"He's no star but he's shown enough to suggest he's going to win a couple more."

Coffs Harbour trainer Brad Munro also celebrated a win when Bel Academy led all the way to win the first race of the day, the Schweppes Maiden Plate (800m).

Munro only has a small team in work at Coffs as he works full time for the Coffs Harbour Racing Club.

A three-year-old gelding Bel Academy had resumed with a second at Grafton over 1015m.

The son of Bel Esprit was at his best today.

"If he got to the front I knew he'd be hard to beat," Brad Munro said.

"He did that very well."

A 'good doer" Bel Academy can only improve, Munro added.

"He hasn't hit top gear yet," he said.

While he stopped the clock at 46.41secs Coffs Harbour filly In A Step went even quicker in the AJ Civil Projects Class 2 Handicap (800m), running 45.91secs and winning by almost three lengths.

The filly is trained at Coffs by Brett Dodson for Tamworth breeders Gwen and Errol Leicht.

She is by Time Release, a good race mare and outstanding broodmare, who was trained and raced for the late Merv Corliss at Tamworth.

The Leichts live at Tamworth as well where Dodson grew up and started his racing career as an apprentice jockey and then trainer before moving to Coffs.

"She's got plenty of gate speed," Dodson told Sky Thoroughbred Central of the filly who has now won two of her seven starts for more than $44,000 in prizemoney.

Races 4-5

VENUSIAN streeted his opposition to break through on his home track today.

The Brett Bellamy-trained gelding, a three-year-old son of Cluster, was having his seventh race start but gave nothing else a chance when he led all the way to win the Coffs Coast Cranes Maiden Plate (1200m).

It continued a good day for local trainers with Brad Munro winning the first race with Bel Academy, Brett Dodson the second with In A Step and former Coffs trainer Ken Lantry the third with Fandral.

Coffs trainer Paul Smith looked like he was going to win the fourth with Delayed Response but the Kris Lees-trained Bedivere fought back to beat her narrowly in the final few strides.

"He's a tough bugger," said stable foreman Chris Hull of the Newcastle-trained gelding.

"There's not much of him but what there is pretty strong."
While Bedivere fought back well Venusian was never in doubt for Bellamy.

"He came out of the gates flying," Brett Bellamy said.

"Travelled well throughout.

"He's still got a lot to learn and will benefit from a spell and come back a better horse."

Races 6-7

NORTHERN Wilderose might have a campaign change despite her terrific win at Coffs Harbour today.

The Paul Smith-trained daughter of Killy swept to victory in the Coffs Comet Class 2 Handicap (1200m), fighting back to beat the Graham Payne trained Casino Delight.

It was Northern Wilderose's third career win after notching her maiden first up at Kemspey in April 2019.

She has also won a benchmark 58 handicap over 1305m at her home track when she carried 60kg back in mid January.

She was then third to Bellastar in the Queen Of The North at Port Macquarie before finishing seventh to Plonka in the Northern Rivers Racing Association Country Championship Qualifier at Grafton.

That was to have been held at Coffs but was transferred because of the recent wet weather.

Running it at her home track might have made a big difference for the talented mare.

Today she showed why when she fought back on the Heavy 8 surface to claim a gutsy win.

"It was a very tough win," Paul Smith said after the race where jockey Ray Spokes claimed his third win of the day.

"She showed a lot of guts."

Smith believes she might be "coming to the end of her campaign" and that might mean foregoing a shot at the Country Championship by winning the Wildcard at Muswellbrook and then going to the $500,000 Country Championship Final at Randwick.

Instead he might give her a break and return to have a lash at the Kosciuszko later in the year.

Lismore trainer Daniel Bowen had to wait until the last race to grab success when Antilia ran away with the Hoey Moey Benchmark 58 Handicap (1400m).

Run on a Heavy 10 surface Antilia, a four-year-old daughter of Not A Single Doubt, came up from Victoria last year and overcome a few problems to showcase her talent.

"You couldn't miss her last run," trainer Daniel Bowen said after the impressive victory.

"She prepared well for this race and looked a treat too."

He had asked jockey Matt McGuren to have her closer than usual because of the nature of the heavy track.

That worked out well with McGuren rating her perfectly.