Healing Hands books a spot in Country Championship Final at Randwick

Ridden by Greg Ryan, Healing Hands broke the drought for his emotional Bathurst trainer Gayna Williams, who previously had three Central Districts qualifying seconds.

The gelding has proved a bonanza for the trainer, husband Frank, daughter Lauren and soon-to-be son-in-law Matthew Cook, who paid $5000 for the horse as a weanling at an online auction.

Bred by Yarraman Park, the I Am Invincible gelding has won five of seven starts for about $130,000.

Healing Hands defeated the Dean Mirfin prepared pair Electrified (by Declaration Of War) and Tale Of The Kraut (Trusting), the runner-up ridden by Winx's famed rider Hugh Bowman who rode three winners.

Two of these were family affairs, Scottish Soldier and Chastise are both raced in partnership with the jockey's parents Mandy and Jim Bowman of Dunedoo, the latter horse winning the $40,000 Gooree Park Country Showcase Maiden. A three-year-old by Star Witness, Chastise was bred by Jim's great-mate Paul Frampton of "Bobialla" Merriwa, and trained in Scone by Rod Northam.

"It is very hard to win a race, but to win two races on the one program is special," Jim Bowman said.

Trained locally by Mack Griffith, the Shamus Award gelding Scottish Soldier was bred by Jim Bowman and is raced together with cousin Jim Bowman and wife Libby of "Edgell Farm", Mudgee.

Interestingly, Scottish Soldier's grandmother, Scottish Emma, was Hugh Bowman's first winner as a professional jockey, winning at Gulgong at his second ride in the late 1990s when trained by his father.

Riding a winning double, Greg Ryan also partnered the Kody Nestor, Dubbo, trained Fast Talking to take the Racing NSW Benchmark 66 Handicap. By Falvelon stallion Walking Or Dancing, Fast Talking is raced by a group including Kody's auntie Anita Murray of Coonamble, Will Stanley of Wellington, and Allan Lloyd and son Mitchell, who travelled from Liverpool and Harrington Park to see the win.

Exciting first-crop sire, Alpine Eagle, was represented with the top price of $95,000 for a filly at the recent Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale.

Purchased by Cranbourne trainer Robbie Griffiths and Peter Ford Bloodstock, the filly was sold via Tasmania's prominent Armidale Stud, also the home of Alpine Eagle, who is a Melbourne Group 2 winner by deceased High Chaparral.

The filly is the first foal of four times winning mare Must Be Mink, a daughter of Musket.

Alpine Eagle shares the stallion stables with prominent Encosta de Lago horse Needs Further, sire of $3.2m earning mare Mystic Journey.

Armidale also sold a colt by Vinery Stud's first crop sire Star Turn for $75,000.

Buyers spent $3.362 million on the 110 sold lots (from 135 offered) for a $30,568 average.

AP Indy, the 1992 US Horse of the Year and foundation of Lane's End Farm in Kentucky, US, passed away at age 31 last month. The champion US sire spent his entire stud career of 27 years at Lane's End, where he ended his days in his stall.

The most expensive yearling in 1990 when fetching $2.9 million at Keeneland Kentucky Yearling Sale, AP Indy earned that back when winning eight races including Group 1 events as a two and three-year-old.

By US Horse Of The Year, Seattle Slew, AP Indy was produced from champion broodmare Weekend Surprise, a Secretariat matron who also features in the pedigrees of last season's high profile shuttle sires Bolt d'Oro (at Spendthrift Farm, Victoria), Coolmore Stud's Kentucky Derby winner Justify, and Frosted.

Voted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 2000, AP Indy's influence is also seen via Godolphin's former shuttler Bernardini, who left 14 stakes winners including five times Group 1 winner Boban in Australia.

Leaving a lasting legacy, AP Indy's first crop included Group 1 winner Pulpit, sire of current US commercial juggernaut grey Tapit, sire of handsome grey and triple Group 1 winner Frosted, who shuttles to Godolphin, near Seymour, Victoria.