Wet tracker Cum Dividend appreciated the give in the ground when he led all of the way to win the $65,000 Hamilton Hotel Handicap (1350m) at Doomben last Saturday.
Trainer Liam Birchley trained a winning double at Doomben with Cum Dividend and Headwater Country. Photo by Daniel Costello.
The win wrapped up a winning double for Eagle Farm trainer Liam Birchley and also followed on from a successful Grafton Cup Carnival which also provided two winners for the stable.
Birchley is a regular visitor to Grafton each year and came away with the spoils this year after Rock Royalty took out the feature sprint during the week, the Listed $150,000 Crowe Horwath Ramornie Handicap (1200m) at Grafton on July 8.
Birchely then saddled up Terio Tool on Grafton Cup day twenty-four hours later to win the $20,000 Mr Sales Class 1 Handicap (1400m).
Headwater Country started the day off in great style at Doomben for Birchley when he was able to return to winning form in the $65,000 Garrads Horse & Hound C,G, & E Class 6 Plate (1200m).
And then when the rain arrived mid-afternoon, down grading the track a Soft 5, Birchley was confident of a return trip to the winner’s stall for the second time in the day with Cum Dividend.
“The rain and his 52 kilograms played into our hands,” Birchley said.
“He’s been very consistent but when he went to Rockhampton for the Newmarket last start he struck a firm ground.
“He’s just below top level but he always tries hard when he gets the right conditions.”
Saturday’s win was Cum Dividend’s sixth on a rain affected track and the six year old really relished the job as pacemaker when apprentice Bridget Grylls let him stride to the front when she feared being caught wide after jumping from gate eleven in the fourteen horse field.
Previous to Saturday, Cum Dividend had been out of the winning list since taking out a 1200m BenchMark 85 Handicap at Doomben in November last year on a good track, only one of two wins on a non rain affected surface.
Cum Dividend has collected over $255,000 in prizemoney from eight wins, five seconds and seven thirds from thirty-five starts.
