WYONG DUO’S DAY TO REMEMBER

ON our national day of remembrance, Wyong duo Damien Lane and Anna Roper also had a day neither will forget.

Trainer Lane is looking confidently to the future with both lightly-raced three-year-old Oakfield Jupiter, who made it two wins from as many starts at Gosford, and his talented apprentice Roper, who on the Kensington track clinched her first Sydney treble and stole the city spotlight.

Lane has never hid his opinion of the filly and Roper (pictured above with Greg McFarlane after riding her treble), and says they both can reach greater heights.

Oakfield Jupiter ($2.50) overcame the outside barrier in a field of seven to take the Provincial Class 1 Handicap (1000m) from locally-trained Angela Davies’ $2.15 favorite Leantothemoon, following on from her excellent Wyong debut success on April 3, whilst Roper reeled off wins on stablemates and favorites Collect Your Cash ($3.10) and Campaldino ($1.75), and then Gosford trainer Greg McFarlane’s first-upper The Great Houdini ($6.50).

Adding to the Wyong celebrations were fellow trainers Allan Kehoe and Sara Ryan, who scored respectively with Dreamdeel ($5.50) at Gosford and Piperita ($4) on the Kensington track.

Oakfield Jupiter’s rider Aaron Bullock declared 1kg over at 57.5kg, but the Toronado filly was up to the task for her trainer and owner Bruce Mackenzie, who paid $320,000 for her as a 2023 Inglis Classic yearling.

As Lane put it, Bullock had to take the filly out of her comfort zone to give her the chance to maintain her unbeaten record.

“Oakfield Jupiter is very professional and has a great brain,” Lane said.

“She sometimes gets a bit hot coming off the track, and we were stabled not far from a band at Gosford for the Anzac Day meeting.

“But she took all the noise in her stride.

“Bruce doesn’t rush his young horses, and that’s why she has raced only twice and is well into her three-year-old season.

“We’ve got a couple of options with her next before she has a break.

“We can find another suitable race or give her the chance to measure up in Listed company in the Woodlands Stakes (1100m) for three-year-old fillies at the Scone carnival next month.

“I’m sure that when Oakfield Jupiter can be ridden quieter, she will really let rip.”

Roper’s Kensington haul was her first in Sydney, but not her first metropolitan treble.

She achieved that feat at a midweek city fixture held at Gosford 12 months ago.

“Anna keeps working hard and is getting the results, and beginning to get opportunities from the leading Sydney stables,” Lane said.

“Two of her winners today were for Gai Waterhouse AO and Adrian Bott, and she also rode a winner (Sisu Spirit) for them at Newcastle recently.

“Anna would really like to win the Sydney apprentices’ premiership this season, but it’s not going to be an easy task as she missed so much in the first half of the season because of injury.

“Still she is getting on a roll and you never know what might happen with another three months remaining.”

Kehoe had to “bite his tongue” when apprentice Mitch Stapleford won the Benchmark 64 Handicap (1600m) on Dreamdeel, who posted his seventh success.

“I wanted Mitch to lead, but he gave it up and sat behind,” Kehoe said.

“He got the job done, so all’s well that ends well.”

But only just. Dreamdeel grabbed $26 roughie Ocean Diva in the very last stride, and the trainer was thrilled for the Dundeel six-year-old’s owner Mary Basson.

“Mary is a great supporter of the stable, and it’s terrific to get another win for her with this horse,” Kehoe said.

Ryan believes the best is yet to come from Pierata filly Piperita (Ash Morgan), who graduated to city class in taking the Benchmark 64 Handicap (1400m) against her own sex.

This was only her fifth start and third this campaign. She had broken through on her home track at Wyong over 1300m on March 12 before going under narrowly to Lutetia in a Provincial Class 1 Handicap (1250m) at Newcastle on April 1.

Story John Curtis, April 26, 2025 - Pics Bradley Photos