Gunnedah trainer Gavin Groth and his apprentice Hannah Johnston relished victory for Powerstone for the second time, as the mare won race five at Coonabarabran last Saturday.

After winning a race at Gunnedah on March 15, the Groth-trained and Johnston-ridden mare had a disappointing 11th placing at Wellington on March 28 before returning to its winning ways despite encountering a difficult barrier draw.

Having been the favourite in a field of nine in a 1000m race at Gunnedah, Powerstone was the third favourite in another field of nine in a 900m race at Coonabarabran.

While the March 15 occasion was the first time Johnston had a win under Groth, the trainer said last Saturday’s win also “had merit” as it was “a different win altogether”.

After Powerstone ran close to the rails at Gunnedah due to the barrier draw, the mare was forced to run wide at Coonabarabran after drawing the outside gate.

Groth said Powerstone ran wide throughout the race and came from the back of the outside, having needed to take the long route as there was no sign of a gap appearing.

Powerstone was in seventh place at the 400m stage, before finishing strongly and winning by a length.

Groth said the mare was “pretty versatile which is pleasing” while it was “always good to see Hannah have some success because she works hard”.

While there were no specific plans for the jockey for the March 15 race as the trainer didn’t want to complicate things, Groth said some instructions were needed at Coonabarabran due to the different barrier draw and pattern.

“It was all about patience and timing, and she got it right,” he said.

In race six at Coonabarabran, the Groth-trained and Johnston-ridden Showtime Sassy finished 11th in a field of 13 after leading the 1200m race for a while.

Powerstone and Showtime Sassy are scheduled to race again this Saturday as Groth has eight nominations at Warialda, followed by three at Scone the following Monday and three at Armidale on the Tuesday.

Groth was also scheduled to have three runners at Scone yesterday.

To order photos from this page click here