Ribeiro and Greig take the spoils at Condo picnics

While another Dubbo conditioner, Brett Robb, won the first race with Acres Midnight (by Ilovethiscity) and ridden by Ribeiro, the Brazilian born hoop then combined with Greig to dominate the rest of the program.

The Greig/Ribeiro combination won the next three with mare Call Me Trinity (Runs To Win), gelding Linden Tree (Redoute's Choice) and mare Gossip (Written Tycoon), then the last race with mare Merdeka (Animal Kingdom).

Greig also scored a quinella in the $11,000 Inland Petroleum Condobolin Picnic Race Club Cup with Valadyium and Get Up Alby (Magic Albert), respectively, Ribeiro partnering the runner-up.

Tamworth based hoop Brent Evans had the honour of winning the feature aboard Valadyium, a five-year-old mare by new hot stallion Shamus Award.

However, as the gaiety was evolving amongst the 1000 plus trackside crowd, the amateur riding ranks for the races were slim.

There were nine runners in the Cup field and only seven amateur jockeys could be found and therefore two had to be scratched.

"It's a shame we could only get seven riders, as the Cup is worth a fair bit of money," said CPRC committee-person Mark Ward.

"A thought to help this situation is to allow apprentice jockeys that haven't out-ridden their three-kilo-claim and did not have a ride at another meeting could ride against the amateurs which would ease the shortage of jockeys, as well as giving them more experience."

"Our committee go to the trouble to put good prizemoney on for its local community races with great community support, and then we cannot find enough jockeys, that is something that needs to be looked at by Racing NSW."

As well as getting a usual riding fee, Mr Ward said they try to attract jockeys by giving them $150 in appearance money, then at the end of the day every jockey that rides at the meeting their name goes into a draw - with the drawn winner getting a $500 cash bonus.

Dubbo based Thoroughbred media and racing analyst Tim Moses - who was the Condobolin race-caller, suggested that riders that have not ridden 10 winners for the year could be another tier of jockeys from which to draw upon.

Also read: Condobolin brings in the crowd from all round for big race day

"Whether it goes to a committee to decide that, for example James Rogers or another could be Chelsea Ings - riders that don't get many opportunities that haven't ridden 10 winners - or maybe just make it five winners, but have some incentive there that could bolster the riding ranks at picnic races," said Mr Moses, after learning of the two Cup scratchings.

"They could still ride at the professionals but could also ride with the amateurs; there are six or seven of them (jockeys) that come to mind that could ride at the picnics as well, and this would alleviate the problem."

"As well you would get a lot of these (picnic) horses out that clog up TAB meetings as they can race there and get $500 if they finish in the first 10; so, it would take those picnic horses out of the TAB system."

Mr Moses said it would be a win-win both ways.

"Picnic horses are basically those which don't make the better grade TAB races, but trainers and owners still want to see them race at the picnics and hopefully win."

WHILE the Gary Colvin trained Another One won the Southern District Racing Association's $150,000 Newhaven Park Country Championship Qualifying race at Wagga Wagga last Saturday, it was the Mid North Coast region's turn at Taree last Sunday.

Trained locally by Glen Milligan, Swamp Nation (ridden by former Western Australia apprentice Madi Derrick) flew home to snatch victory for a team of ecstatic trackside owners mostly from the Lake Macquarie districts.

Among these is Graham Killen (and wife Nicole) who picked out (and paid $8000) for the three-year-old filly (which is among the first crop by Widden Stud's $2m earner Stratum Star) at the Highway Session of Inglis' Classic Yearling Sale, the same auction where Another One was found (for $18,000) but the previous year.

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