RAGING Monkey made it back-to-back Casterton victories with a tough on speed win on Tuesday.
In claiming his fourth career win, the seven-year-old was made to carry his huge impost of 64kgs every step of the race.
The James Bull-trained gelding was given little peace by runner-up, Titans, from the moment the barriers opened.
In an obvious tactic, Titan’s jockey, Maddi Price, used her 4kg claim to race on speed and it looked likely to work a couple of times down the home straight.
But through the unrelenting vigour of regular rider, Laura Lafferty, the son of Atomic lifted for a narrow win over Titans and a closing pack which included odds-on favourite Onika.
Lafferty has now won three races on the sprinter, all this preparation.
A late comer to the racetrack, Raging Monkey has now put together an impressive career record that includes four wins and four placings from 13 starts for $75,000 in prizemoney.
Onika may have been a defeated odds-on favourite for the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable, but the 2022 Melbourne Cup winning combination did taste success with a treble earlier in the meeting.
Linda Meech joined forces with the powerful team to ride a double, Southern Chilli and Trust Rusty, while Blaike McDougall who also rode a double, steered home the other winner Accuse.
McDougall’s other winner was for Lindsey Smith, upsetting odds-on punters when Recap defeated $1.45 favourite, Castel Trosino, from the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr yard.
Another galloper who showed her liking for Casterton was Grassmere Jewel.
Trained by under-rated horseman, Adam Chambers, the four-year-old mare, also by Atomic, ran home hard along the fence to make it a hat-trick of wins, including her last two at this track.
Her other win was at Hamilton in September, making it three wins from four career starts.
Not often a meeting in the area goes by without a Wayne Walters winner, with the veteran trainer combining with daughter Kate to go one step better with last start placegetter, Fifth Husband.
John Salanitri saddled up the remaining winner For Ari, narrowly defeating The Fire Trap for local trainers, Matt and Louise Cooper.
Pushed wide on the home turn, the runner-up looks an upcoming winner in similar grade during the next month.
Results
Race 1 Bet365 Maiden Plate 1800m - 1st Recap (Blaike McDougall/Lindsey Smith) $4.20; 2nd Castel Trosino (Dean Yendall/Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr) $1.45f; 3rd Lord Of Penno (Harry Grace/Ben O’Farrell) $10.
Race 2 Bet365 Maiden Plate 2000m - 1st Fifth Husband (Kate Walters/Wayne Walters) $10; 2nd The Khan (Neil Farley/Jamie Edwards) $31; 3rd Tradeworx (Alana Kelly/Daniel P Kelly) $9.
Race 3 Bet365 Maiden Plate 1200m - 1st Southern Chilli (Linda Meech/Ciaron Maher & David Eustace) $2.80; 2nd Laureus (Blaike McDougall/Tom Dabernig) $2.60f; 3rd Cote Des Bar (Melissa Julius/Clint Marshall) $7.50.
Race 4 Bet365 Maiden Plate 1400m - 1st Trust Rusty (Linda Meech/Ciaron Maher & David Eustace) $3.20f; 2nd Artrese (Jarrod Lorensini/Andrew Bobbin) $12; 3rd Buoyant (Laura Lafferty/Simon Ryan) $7.
Race 5 Bet365 BM58 Handicap 1400m - 1st Accuse (Blaike McDougall/Ciaron Maher & David Eustace) $5.50; 2nd Champagne Witness (Dean Yendall/Matthew Williams) $2.80f; 3rd Carak (Melissa Julius/Ricky Bruhn) $51.
Race 6 Bet365 BM58 Handicap 2000m - 1st For Ari (Alana Kelly/John Salanitri) $2.40f; 2nd The Fire Trap (Dean Holland/Matt & Louise Cooper) $15; 3rd Missile Belle (Blaike McDougall/Tom Dabernig) $6.50.
Race 7 Bet365 BM58 Handicap 1100m - 1st Raging Monkey (Laura Lafferty/James Bull) $4; 2nd Titans (Maddi Price/Tom Conlan) $16; 3rd Onika (Linda Meech/Ciaron Maher & David Eustace) $1.80f.
Race 8 Bet365 BM58 Handicap 1200m - 1st Grassmere Jewel (Dean Holland/Adam Chambers) $5.50; 2nd Wicklow Lass (Dean Yendall/Tom Dabernig) $4f; 3rd Savvy Sovereign (Linda Meech/Ciaron Maher & David Eustace) $6.50.
