While the open race trainers table might have been done and dusted by Mark Wallis since about June, the Monmore version went to the penultimate race of the year writes Floyd Amphlett.
It had been dominated for months by reigning champ Kim Billingham and Paul Sallis, but they had been challenged with a strong run from Corren Price whose kennel has been in outstanding form. As they went to traps for the first race on Friday, the scores were 260-Kim Billingham and Paul Sallis, 257- Corren Price. All three had runners on the card including one each in the final race.
Things started to get interesting in the second race where all three had runners, they finished 1-2-3, within a length of each other, but with Kim nabbing the important first winner with 7-1 chance Farloe Austin.
Corren almost pulled one back two races later when the unfortunately named Lucky Impact was ‘short headed’. All three had runners in the sixth race but Pat Cowdrill and Blue Hercules were having none of their nonsense.
It was still ‘advantage Kim’ going into eighth, where Sallis’ Milgi Milhi was a half length ‘close but no cigar’. More runners for all three in the ninth – zilch! Ms Billingham could have wrapped it up in the tenth, but the camera betrayed her and Final Aoife. SHORT HEAD GODDAMIT!
By the 13th it was all over for the Price kennel and then in the 14th, Team Billingham nailed it with another 7-1 chance. The last race turned out to be a damp squib and the reigning champ retained her crown.
Phew!
