By Michael Manley
Ballarat trainer Andrew Noblet achieved a career aim with his first May carnival winner when his hurdler Out And Dreaming took out the opening event of the Warrnambool carnival, the Welcome To The ‘Bool Hurdle.
The next two hurdle races were taken out by trainers who are accustomed to the winner’s circle at Warrnambool, Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.
They trained promising hurdlers Wil John and Mawaany Machine to take out the next two races.
Both were ridden by premier jockey Steven Pateman.
Also Out And Dreaming gave his rider Darryl Horner Junior his first winner at the May carnival.
“This is my fourth May Carnival now and my first winner so it’s not easy to ride winners here,” Horner Junior said.
Will John won the Cally Hotel Hurdle by eight lengths which was also his hurdle debut.
Pateman recorded his 22nd win at the carnival when Mawaany Machine took out the G Taylor Memoral Hurdle.
Pateman said both Mawaany Machine and Wil John had big futures as jumpers.
“My first ever ride here (was a winner) for a local trainer Ken Elford so that got me hooked,” Pateman said.
Pateman said Mawaany Machine knocked down a One Fit Hurdle panel turning into the straight on the first occasion and he didn’t enjoy jumping it again in the closing stages.
“He didn’t really like the fallen down panel. He’s got a lot of improvement in him. Probably (had) a soft trial coming into this today but he was too good,” Pateman said.
“I think, and none of you will believe me, but I think there’s ten lengths improvement in him. He’s a beautiful horse and he’s had two soft trials spaced away from each other and he ran on the flat the other day so I felt like that was a bit of (like a) trial."
“When you see him next time he’ll be a whole lot better,” he said.
