He might not be the smartest horse, but Vaquero proved the fasted in Dubbo last week to kick-start a run of form from Alison Smith's stables in recent days.
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Vaquero and Fanny Chenal's first and second placings respectively in Dubbo on Friday were followed by a second to Panuara in Gunnadah on Monday.
The four-year-old Vaquero leapt out at the gates and held his own at the front of the pack, beating out Direct Vision and Izzat by nearly a length and a half.
Smith said the win "surprised" her, with the raw prospect just three races back from a 34-week spell, with an eighth and fifth at Dubbo and Forbes before a maiden win at the Dubbo Turf Club, being guided by Anthony Cavello.
"I thought he might have been a little bit underdone and he's just very dumb, he's still got to learn a lot, you know," Smith said.
"We put the blinkers on him last start and it was an improved effort at Forbes, a horse sort of bumped about 100 metres from the line and he ran out to three horses and doesn't get beaten very fast."
I thought he might have been a little bit underdone and he's just very dumb, he's still got to learn a lot, you know.
- Alison Smith
While she and her stable weren't expecting the win in the slightest, she said they'd take a maiden victory whichever way it game.
"Absolutely, the owners have been very patient, we've taken our time with him and there's a lot of owners who've never owned a racehorse before," she said, thanking those who've helped steer Vaquero.
"We've had a run of outs at the moment but hopefully it's all going to change."
Fanny Chenal was just a length and a half behind Dar Lunn's Helstar in race six last week, edging out Clint Lundholm's Carinda Road by a fifth of a length.
Panuara came from the mid-field to leap into the lead with just under 100 metres to go, but the seven-year-old started his run slightly too early as the Yvette Lewis-trained Cazzinarro stormed home on the inside rail on the dusty Gunnedah track.
Both Vaquero and Fanny Chenal have nominated for races in Bathurst next Monday - Vaquero over 1400m and the latter over 2000m.
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