Turning 87 on Wednesday, Laurieton matriarch Jan Tate and her band of "girls" celebrated a long-held ambition in winning the $32,000 Bakewell Haulage Krambach Cup (1600m) with Port Macquarie trained Chamisal ($4) at Manning Valley Race Club's meeting at Taree on Friday.
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"It was so exciting...we are laughing...we've got a cup and a bottle of plonk," she said.
"Our horse Pin-up Boy was second in the cup about 20 years ago and it is so lovely to win the Krambach Cup.
"We race horses to win our local country cups and finally we have achieved our goal.
"We won the Coffs Harbour Cup but this win is so special and more thrilling."
Enjoying the long neck win with Coffs Harbour jockey Raymond Spokes on board for trainer John Sprague was her daughter, Jenny Gray, the other owners,Mrs Kelly Beauchamp, Mrs Jessie Ross, Miss Maddi Beauchamp and Miss Lucy Gray having stayed at home.
Mrs Tate and all her "girls" will certainly have big smiles on their faces at the popular Sandbar Restaurant at North Haven.
She and her husband Kelly have had many racehorses over the past four decades and have enjoyed attending local tracks where they have had many victories.
Chamisal tried to qualify for the $200,000 Port Macquarie Cup but when the five-year-old Helmut gelding, formerly trained by James Cummings for two runs before it was sold early last year, failed to run out the distance it backed up for a third last week week behind Chalmers before notching its fifth win on Friday.
Second was Port's Mister Smartee ($8), trained by Tas Morton, also backing up from the Chalmers race, with a long head to Taree's Editors ($7.50), trained by Ross Stitt, it having to come wide from last with its finishing run.
Visiting gallopers won six of the eight races on the good-rated track, the other local winner being four-year-old gelding Wandzel ($3.60), trained by Port's Jenny Graham in the Superturf Maiden Plate over 1250m.
It was having its third run after coming from a spell and gave Cessnock jockey Robert Thompson a win after a masterful ride, his only mount at the meetng.
Newcastle trainer David Adkins wasn't trackside but that didn't stop jockey Amelia Denby providing him with two winners-Foxy Xenia ($1.85) in the Haymans Electrical (BM 58) Handicap over 1000m and Manhattan Whirl ($19) in the Krambach Hotel (C3) over 1600m.
Both gallopers led all the way.
Newcastle Jockey Aaron Bullock and his master trainer Kris Lees combined for a half-length win on One Star Shining ($2.00), it coming through the pack from mid-field in the Horsepower Maiden over 1400m.
Another to lead and win by just under a length was Coffs Harbour gelding Pace Stick ($1.95), trained by Brett Dodson and ridden by his apprentice Kyle Wilson-Taylor, in the Banarra Brahmans Country Plate over 1250m.
Port jockey Ben Looker took Fudginit ($8) to the lead for his former master, John Shelton from Grafton, for an easy nearly two lengths win first-up from a spell in the Harrington Hotel Plate over 1000m.
The other winner on the card, six-year-old gelding Sausilito ($15), trained at Newcastle by Paul Perry and ridden by apprentice Mikayla Weir, also was handy early before scoring by nearly two lengths in the Bakewell Memorial Krambach Sprint over 1400m.
Racing at Bushland Drive Racecourse takes a spell for track renovation, the next Manning Valley Race Club meeting being on November 16.