’We don’t really know what to make of him’

A LISMORE trainer says he will have to go back to the drawing board with one of his race horses.

Kirk Matheson rode Tumut River for Lismore trainer Daniel Bowen at Grafton today. Photo File.

IT is back to the drawing board for Lismore trainer Daniel Bowen after five-year-old gelding Tumut River ran fourth in a maiden plate at Grafton today.

Tumut River placed in two of its previous three starts and looked likely to breakthrough for its first win on a short turnaround.

“He came back to Lismore the other day a little bit underdone, so we had him down again for today,” Bowen said.

“He’d drawn well enough where he was going to be in the right position and I hoped he could pull it off.

“We don’t really know what to make of him.”

In the end, Adelita Rose surged home from back in the field to snare her first win on her home track.

She also grabbed trainer Paul Richardson’s first win of the Northern Rivers Racing Association season when she zoomed home to edge courageous Fudginit in the 1015m scamper.

Adelita Rose was having her fifth start for her owner-trainer and coming off a last start 9th at Eagle Farm.

Earlier in the meeting, Coffs Harbour filly Chillie Cod broke through for trainer Robert Agnew.

The two-year-old daughter of Sun Of May was coming off a good third at Ballina when the filly boxed on well behind Joey’s Gift.

Armidale-trained Pressing Matters annexed the first race when the six-year-old gelding son of High Chaparral won the $20,000 More Ice Benchmark 58 Handicap (2380m).

Prepared by Robert Knight on the Northern Tablelands Pressing Matters beat fellow Armidale gelding Kilmarnock (Lea Selby) by just over a length and register his third career win.

He has now won more than $74,000 in prizemoney with 11 placings dotting his racing history.

Northern Rivers racing returns on Saturday with a TAB meeting at Lismore Turf Club.

It will be the second meeting the club has held under COVID-19 restrictions.