Super Mind was in super form to win the H&M Refrigeration Maiden Plate at Gunnedah’s Riverside Racecourse on Saturday.
The Gunnedah gelding blitzed the field to win by two lengths for local trainer Gavin Groth.
Ridden by jockey Billy Cray, Super Mind was a clear favourite with punters as betting had shortened from a $2 favourite to $1.60 when he jumped from the gates.
Groth said the 1300m distance was a perfect sweet spot for this horse on the up.
“It was a target race, if he didn’t perform like he did I would have been pretty disappointed,” the trainer said post-race.
After returning from a 30-week spell mid-year, Groth said the four-year-old had two good lead-in races before last weekend’s Gunnedah win.
Super Mind finished fourth at Moree, albeit over an “unsuitable” 950m distance, before placing second at Quirindi over 1200m.
“The 1300-1400 metre distance is his niche – he won well and was ridden well,” Groth said.
The Gunnedah trainer, who was nursing his second knee replacement and only able to provide “moral support” to his team on Saturday, said they will take time to find Super Mind’s next start.
“We’ll let the dust settle and see if we find another race for him in a few weeks,” he said.
In the feature of the day, the 1600m Christmas Cup Benchmark 66, the Muswellbrook-trained Candy Kiss won by a head for trainer Luke Thomas.
Ridden by Zoe Hunt, it was the mare’s second win in four starts after also taking out a win in Taree.
Second home by a whisker was Not Too Bad from Gilgandra which was running off a last start win at Wellington.
Saturday also coincided with Gunnedah Jockey Club’s Christmas Ham Race Meet. The jockey club estimated a crowd of 2000 was trackside for the event.
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