By Neil Evans
Home track trainer Michael Mulholland is hellbent on brushing aside four weeks of frustrating and close finishes when he saddles up a strong team at Monday’s feature Dubbo meeting.
Known as the “Cups King” of the NSW Central West, the ex-Wellington horseman is now based in Dubbo with around two-thirds of his expanding stable working from the bigger base.
Racing returns to Dubbo on Monday with a seven-race card.Credit:Phil Carrick
Yet for all his reputation as a late maturing trainer over the past two decades after those early days as a beef cattle farmer, Mulholland has been handed a recent reminder of patience being everything.
Since two Benchmark 58 winners at Bathurst and Narromine nearly a month ago, the stable has seemingly been banging on the door in 11 starts since.
After close placings at Muswellbrook, Coonamble and Mudgee, the Mulholland stable had no luck in a Rosehill Highway at big odds with Sea Of Flames 16 days ago before consecutive second placings at Bathurst in a BM 58 and at Warren in a Class 1.
One of those runners hitting the line was Eva’s Deel who reloads with a huge chance this time in a moderate BM 58 over the longer 2200m.
And desperate to break a two-year winless drought with this tough and nomadic six-year-old mare, Mulholland has booked top country heavyweight jockey Aaron Bullock to ride for the first time.
The same combination teams up again later when lightly raced ex-metro six-year-old Pelham resumes off a long break in her first outing for the Mulholland yard in a Country Boosted Maiden Plate over 1400m.
The highlight of the card, though, is a competitive Benchmark 66 sprint, with a pair of eight-year-old “iron” horses – Canberra’s Milamoo second-up, and ultra-consistent Petain from Mudgee – out to steal the prize from Dubbo-based contenders.
Supplied by Racing NSW
Full form and race replays available at racingnsw.com.au
