PHOTO FINISH: Lee sprinter’s final lunge win

Stephen Lee trained veteran gelding’s final sprint showdown gave plenty for the press at Grafton.

Jockey Andrew Mallyon rode Nothingforthepress (right) to victory for trainer Stephen Lee in the final stride over John Shelton trained Bugalugs (Stephen Lee) in the NRRA Country Championship Qualifier 13 February Open Handicap over 1200m at Clarence River Jockey Club in Grafton on Tuesday, 2nd February, 2021. Photo Bill North / The Daily Examiner

Nothingforthepress ($8.50, Andrew Mallyon) gave racing journalists plenty to write about with an impressive final stride win at Grafton on Tuesday.

The Stephen Lee trained seven-year-old eclipsed John Shelton trained Bugalugs ($4.40, Luke Rolls) to win the NRRA Country Championship Qualifier 13 February Open Handicap over 1200m in a photo.

Once clear of inside runner Fair Dinkum ($18, Zac Lloyd), Bugalugs looked to be cruising to victory, but Nothingforthepress showed his true grit - and desire for greater distance - down the outside, with his eighth career win and first under 1350m.

"It was a bit short of his best distance, but we've just freshened him up and tried sprinting him," Lee said.

"He hadn't finished off his last couple in Brisbane and at Ballina the other day he was a little bit wide. So I freshened him up and put him back over 12 (hundred), and he doesn't mind Grafton. It was a good win.

"He's a seven-year-old now, but sometimes if we just get some fresh legs in them and change their mindset in training they freshen up."

A gelding whose progress through the grades after winning his maiden was held up by a run of four seconds, five thirds and two fourths across 12 races, Nothingforthepress has now amassed $210,970 in prize money for the Ballina trainer.

"He did run a lot of places and was always a bridesmaid. But, you know, he strung three together and won a Ballina Cup (in 2019) and he's been a great horse and nearly due for retirement. We might get a couple more wins out of him yet," he said.

Grafton Races at CRJC on February 2, 2021

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SOUTHERN SWING SURGES TO THIRD WIN

By Geoff Newling

Ashley Morgan bagged a double and Matt Dunn a treble when Southern Swing surged to a third career win at Grafton on Tuesday.

Four-year-old Southern Swing a gelding son of Mahisara responded to Ashley Morgan's urgings to take control and run away with a powerful win in the Grafton Horse Of The Year Benchmark 58 Handicap (1400m).

Morgan had ridden Point Counterpoint to victory earlier in the day for Armidale trainer Stirling Osland and relished the opportunity to ride for Matt Dunn when he jumped on Southern Swing.

He had to stoke the gelding at the turn and when he did Southern Swing accelerated away with what was a third win of the day for Matt Dunn.

The Murwillumbah trainer had snared wins with Stuck With You, Marshall Dillon and Southern Swing.

Emily Atkinson rode the first leg, Andrew Mallyon the second leg (which was also a winning double for him) and Morgan the third leg.

The trio of wins took Dunn to 34 wins for the Northern Rivers Racing Association season 20 ahead of second placed Brett Bellamy.

John Shelton, who also trained a double today with Tara Jasmine and Great Marlowe, is equal third with Edward O'Rourke on 11 wins.

2020-21 NORTHERN RIVERS RACING ASSOCIATION PREMIERSHIPS

Unofficial and compiled by Geoff Newling after the Sunday, January 31 Murwillumbah meeting.

TRAINERS

34: Matt Dunn.

14: Brett Bellamy.

11: Edward O'Rourke, John Shelton.

8: Kacy Fogden.

6: Maryann Brosnan, Cathy Chapman, Brett Dodson, Warren Gavenlock, Billy Healey, Stephen Lee.

5: Shane Everson, Jason Reilly, Kris Lees, Daniel Want.

4: Daniel Bowen, Daiki Chujo, Joanne Hardy, Jim Jarvis, Les Kelly.

3: Paula Barron, Tom Cowan, Toby & Trent Edmonds, Owen Glue, Darren Graham, Jenny Graham, Kelvin Hickmott, Chris Munce, Andrew Parramore, Dwayne Schmidt, John Smerdon, Paul Smith, John Sprague, Ross Stitt, Amy Usher, Steven Wise.

2: Chris Anderson, Stephen Bennett, Fleur Blanch, Neville Boyle, Leo Clapham, Neil Creighton, Helen Donnelly, Steve Field, Paul Grills, Donna Grisedale, Carolyn Halliday, Lindsay Hatch, Bruce Hill, Allan Kehoe, Melissa Kelly, Wayne Lawson, Graham Payne, Jan Pritchard, Colt Prosser, Barry Ratcliff, Andrew Sawden, Mark Stewart, Marcus Wilson.

1: Ben Ahrens, Jay Bellamy, Danny Bougoure, Alan Boyd, Kristen Buchanan, Coralie Burnett, Michael Costa, Errol Creighton, Brian Crowley, Warren Dean, Allan Denham, Hilary Dew, Adam Duggan, Shane Edmonds, Jeff Englebrecht, Ethan Ensby, Terry Evans, David Fletcher, Allan Foran, Corey & Kylie Geran, John Gilmore, Neil Godbolt, Tony Green, Scott Henley, Tom Higgins, Gary Hutchesson, Sam Kavanagh, Bevan Laming, Annette Lee, Matthew McCudden, Chris Manson, Craig Martin, Bob Milligan, Cody Morgan, Tas Morton, Brad Munro, Tony Newing, Harold Norman, Mick O'Neill, Wayne Oakenfull, Stirling Osland, Sharon Pepper, Glen Petersen, Steve Phelps, Bill Pholi, Marc Quinn, Barry Ratcliff, Ben Robinson, Cathleen Rode, David Scanes, Lisa Sheppard, Daniel & Rocky Simonetta, Brad Smith, Sally Taylor, Chloe Thomas, Luke Thomas, John Wallace, Tess Wilkes, Peter Youngberry, Alicia Willick.

JOCKEYS

30: Matthew McGuren.

25: Ben Looker.

21: Luke Rolls.

20: Ray Spokes.

16: Kirk Matheson.

15: Jon Grisedale, Andrew Mallyon.

13: Belinda Hodder.

6: Anthony Allen.

5: Allan Chau, Ashley Morgan, Stephen Traecey, Travis Wolfgram, Jodi Worley.

4: Michael Cahill, Tegan Harrison.

3: Jake Bayliss, Andrew Gibbons, James Orman, Chris Taylor, Nozi Tomizawa, Ryan Wiggins.

2: Shane Arnold, Matt Bennett, Aaron Bullock, Casey Caserta, Craig Franklin, Jeff Kehoe, Noryuki Masuda, Ryan Maloney, Paul Payne, Justin Stanley.

1: Skye Bogenhuber, Grant Buckley, Georgina Cartwright, Luke Cumberland, Luke Dittman, Shannon Doyle, Robbie Fradd, Scott Galloway, Jordan Grob, Stephanie Lacy, Jackson Murphy, Rikki Palmer, Ryan Plumb, Kasey Stanley, Ron Stewart, Brooke Stower, Jasen Watkins.

APPRENTICES

15: Emily Atkinson.

9: Kyle Wilson-Taylor.

8: Leah Kilner.

4: Melea Castle, Cejay Graham.

3: Dylan Gibbons, Zac Lloyd, Georgina McDonnell.

2: Qin Yong, Mikaela Weir.

1: Zoe-Lee Cruickshank, Justin Huxtable, Jaden Lloyd.

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