THE Cross Family Como Dairy Hannam Vale Cup Benchmark 82 Handicap over 1600 metres run at the Manning Valley races on Tuesday at Bushland Drive was won by Oakfield Redgum, trained by Damien Lane at Wyong.
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Oakfield Redgum, the $3.70 second favourite, was second across the line in a tight finish, but jockey Ashley Morgan protested successfully against Victory At Omaha and the result was overturned.
Female apprentice jockeys had a wow of a day, winning a whopping five of the eight races.
Mollie Fitzgerald, Teighan Worsnop, Camille Houlgatte, Shae Wilkes and Courtney Bellamy all won races in a red-letter day for the ladies.
That didn't leave much for the males, but Ashley Morgan was still able to ride a double. Jeff Kehoe rode the other winner on the eight-race card.
Kehoe's win came in the last race of the day and one of the two feature events on the card - the Budgeree Holsteins Hannam Vale Bracelet F&M Benchmark 58 Handicap over 1000 metres.
That was on six-year-old mare Robarge for Tuncurry trainer Terry Evans and the tactics that were employed worked perfectly.
Robarge was a little slowly away from barrier seven, but Kehoe was determined to lead and eventually got there.
The mare then kept on going and although getting tired near the end she fought off challengers to win by 0.49 lengths as an $8.50 chance.