Winning double helps Kyra Yuill join three other hoops at top of Great Southern Jockeys’ Premiership
Kyra Yuill joined a logjam at the top of the Great Southern Jockeys’ Premiership after riding a double in Albany on Thursday.
There are four jockeys level with 10 wins with six meetings left in the 2022-23 season.
Beaux Banovic-Edwards, Natasha Faithfull, Brayden Gaerth and Yuill, right, are in a close battle for this season’s Leading Senior Rider award in the Great Southern.
Yuill scored with Elite Fighter in the $29,000 Skyracing.TV Provincial Championship Series Heat (1230m) and then later saluted with this year’s Mt Barker Cup winner Brave Contender.
Elite Fighter ($8) settled near last in the small field of seven but produced a powerful sprint in the home straight to defeat Trevello ($5.50) by a head while Cable Boy ($5) was a length away in third place.
The four-year-old gelding has now won three times this season for Albany trainer Liam O’Loughlin.
Brave Contender won the Mt Barker Cup for Wagin trainer Angela Smith on February 19 and finished fifth over 1900m at his next start in Albany.
On Thursday the tough stayer settled second in running for Yuill and surged clear of early leader Artie’s Comet in the concluding stages to win by more than a length.
Meanwhile, Albany trainer Steve Wolfe claimed a winning double on the seven-race card, with smart youngsters Make Your Point and Catch These Hands.
Make Your Point ($2.30) was a commanding winner of the Great Southern Pest & Weed Maiden (1000m) for Jarrad Noske, winning by more than a length after leading throughout.
Noske and Wolfe bookended the program with the well-supported Catch These Hands ($2.05) successful in the Great Southern Trainers Association Handicap (1600m).
Catch These Hands settled fourth but was far too strong in the final 200m to defeat Bentley Beau by just under a length and make it back-to-back wins.
Wolfe closed the gap in the Great Southern Trainers’ Premiership to 12 wins, his double taking him to 18 for the local season. Leader Roy Rogers moved to 30 after success with Let Her Boogie in race six.
The most impressive win of the day came from the Samantha Faithfull-trained Vrum.
Vrum lumped 60.5kg and overcame barrier nine to win race five by more than two lengths for hoop Renee Forrest.
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