A new Narrabri Cup champion was crowned at Narrabri Harness Racing Club’s second meeting of the year at the Narrabri Showground on Sunday when nine-year-old gelding Master Catch showed exactly why he was the race’s favourite as he stormed home to a memorable victory.

Driven by New Zealand reinsman Luke Whitaker for Salt Ash trainer Lisa McDonald, Master Catch wore the number nine saddlecloth among a field of nine pacers in the 2560-metre Shop2390 Narrabri Cup race.

He was drawn to start widest on the second row as he chased his first win since March last year in Newcastle but was able to move to the front line after Lola Weidemann’s Lulu Lucifer missed the start.

Master Catch was running sixth in a breakaway pack of seven with two full circuits to travel and he remained in that position until the bell sounded when he took off and joined the Adam Ruggari-trained, Grace Panella-driven leader Far Out Bro at the front.

That duo were joined by the Dwayne Brown-trained, Emma Ison-driven Rouge Bling while turning for home as it became a three-horse battle for the Narrabri Cup. It was Master Catch who got the job done as he charged home to a three-metre win from Rouge Bling.

Far Out Bro could not keep up with them and finished 15 metres back in third place, and the Jarred Hetherington-trained, Anthony Varga-driven Narrabri gelding Rock Fisherman ran home in fourth.

The victory was Master Catch’s 24th in 124 starts as he added another cup to his trophy cabinet to sit alongside the Armidale Cup and the Garrards Tamworth City Cup that he claimed in 2023. It was also a major milestone for McDonald as the trainer celebrated her 100th winner.

The Shop2390 Narrabri Cup was the sixth race of the day on an eight-race program at the Narrabri Showground.

The meeting kicked off at 1pm on the dot with the 1760-metre Carla Baxter Real Estate pace, which was won by the Gregory Coney-trained, Jemma Coney-driven favourite Zacharooni after he started behind pole position from the second line and eventually ran home about six metres ahead of the Michael Grima-trained, Paul Grima-driven Freddies Delight and the Timothy Varga-trained, Anthony Varga-driven Prince of Payne, which claimed the minor placings.

Race number two was the 1760-metre Richards Steel Supplies pace, which was also won by the favourite as the Anthony Missen-trained, Blake Hughes-driven Bulldog Brawler got the job done with a three-metre win from the Brendan James-trained Lady Pebbles, which was driven by Panella to a second-place finish. The Lola Weidemann-trained-and-driven My Secret Beach ran home in third place, and Hetherington’s Chal Be was driven by Leigh Sutton to a fourth-place finish.

The third race of the day was the 1760-metre Daisy’s Water Carrier Ray Shepherdson Memorial, and it was won by Weidemann who drove her six-year-old mare Gracenava to a two-metre victory. Booker Bay placed second for the Coneys, Whitaker drove the Tom Ison-trained Safe Jewels to third, and Sutton drove Lexy Can Bern to fourth for Hetherington.

Race four was the Luke McGrath Farrier Service John and Beryl Dean Memorial. The heats for that race were held six days earlier on Easter Monday, with 10 pacers required to qualify for Sunday’s final. The Dwayne Brown-trained, Caitlin McElhinney-driven Smolenski was one of two heat winners and the four-year-old mare got the job done in the big dance by the closest of margins as she edged out the Ian Mabbott-trained, Anthony Varga-driven Tasmans Delight in a photo finish. Finishing just behind them in third place was the Weidemann-trained-and-driven favourite Junior Ryan.

Race five was the 2160-metre Santos Cup, which also required pacers to qualify during heat races on Easter Monday. Another mare was victorious as the Tom Ison-trained-and-driven Night To Remember won by five-and-a-half metres from the Gregory Coney-trained, Jye Coney-driven Dollarsign. Hetherington’s Easter Monday heat winner Far Out Ringo was driven by Sutton to a third-place finish in front of a home crowd on Sunday, and the Jamie Donovan-trained, McElhinney-driven favourite Paratrouper finished fourth.

There were two 1760-metre races held to wrap up the day following the Narrabri Cup feature in race six.

Race seven was the WTC Earthmoving pace, which saw Ison drive his second winner of the day when he led Brown-trained favourite Princess Remi to a three-metre victory over the James-trained, Panella-driven Dougs Rules.

McElhinney drove the Donovan-trained Mister Artikulate to a third place finish in that race before she scored her second win of the day in race eight. In the CL Dickinson Auto Electrics pace, she guided the Donovan-trained Rainbow Jet to a 27-metre victory in what was the largest winning margin of the day.

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