Last week I wrote up the Scone Carnival, which to many would have been boring reading, but I could not let the column readers down by not writing a column at all. 

I will try to make amends this week with some sensible reporting and as it turned out I have some good news to report.

The Scone carnival, as I stated, attracted the best trainers from Sydney making it hard for the locals to shine. Melanie O’Gorman nearly pulled off a coup with Fill Me Up.

Fill Me Up raced In last place for the major part of the journey securing a saloon passage along the rails in the straight but it appears he peaked too soon after hitting the lead at the 100 metre mark only to be run down on the line. He was beaten by two lengths but is a certainty next time he steps out.

Jefferson Park – boy what a thrill he gave his owner Jill Nivison and moreover his supporters who took the $51 on offer.

Jefferson Park ran a brilliant race hitting the lead momentarily in the straight before tiring over the last little bit to go down by two lengths. It looks as though he has regained the form that saw him win his home town Walcha Cup and a win is just around the corner. 

Trainer Craig Martin kept him fresh as that seems to be the pattern for him.

Great day at the office for the George Woodward and stable hand Johnno Byrne when they took out the first race of the day at Tamworth with Foreign Secretary.

Foreign Secretary raced in third place all the way to the turn but at the 400, seemed to over race a little and lost some ground. He picked himself up under the riding of Marlon Dolendo in the straight however and powered home over the top of the opposition to record a good win and the odds of $51 would have had the owners smiling.

Prize should have made it two wins on the trot for the stable but missing the start definitely cost him the race. Prize raced near last all the way, coming from seventh at the 800, flashing home down the outside to just miss out on the major end of the purse. (I would have said prize but that would have been too tacky).

By the last race however and the stable shone again with Grande Zariz also coming from the tail of the field to blow them away at the finish, flashing down the middle of the track in the safe hands of Marlon Dolendo who, incidently, is also a handy fisherman and with whom I have spent many a pleasant day fishing alongside on the wall at Port.

Until next week good punting and like Ken Howard used to say, if you can’t participate in sport, be a sport!