Breeders Plate success a lifelong dream

1 January 2023

BOXING night 2022 will be one that Narrandera reinsman Jackson Painting will long remember.

For Painting and his uncle, trainer David Kennedy, the win by unbeaten colt Blazing Home in the Southern Central Engineering Breeders Plate enabled them to tick a box, one that they have been striving to mark off for some time.

Owned by a group of their mates from Leeton, Blazing Home took out one of the Riverina’s most sought-after trophies, toying with his rivals and breaking the track record around the 800 metre circuit, rating a sizzling 1:53.7 over the sprint trip.

The usually reserved Painting struggled to contain his emotion in the closing stages, saluting to the local crowd and his band of owners when he knew he had the feature race all parceled up.

“This horse is very special to all who are involved with him and winning this race has been a lifelong dream for us,” said Painting.

“We went into the race as a short-priced favourite, and I knew that I just had to drive him like he was the best horse in the race.

“But I never dreamt that he would win with that much ease . . . and run so fast.

“Overall, it was a great result for all involved.”

Tonight, Painting will look to continue his dominance of the Leeton feature races at the Club’s TAB Carnival of Cup meeting when he contests the Milbrae Quarries Final and the Yenda Produce Leeton Pacers Cup.

He will partner the Kennedy-trained Romanee in the Cup, who is coming off a last start second on Boxing night behind talented mare The Wolf.

And in the six-horse field tonight, the gelding is clearly the one to beat over the 2582 metre stayers’ course.

“Romanee is a genuinely nice horse and will be awfully hard to beat in the Cup,” said Painting.

“His effort was strong on Boxing night, and he seems to have pulled up well from that effort.

“He is a metropolitan winner and past history has shown that to win the Leeton Cup, horses need to have that class.”

Painting will be looking to make it a feature-race double in the $15,000 Milbrae Quarries Final  when he partners Scared Stiff.

The gelding will benefit from his run in the qualifying heat, finishing third when resuming from a freshen-up.