Trainer Barry Gibbons has no regrets about leaving Kotoni Banner out of Friday night's heats of the group 2 Richmond Oaks following his bitch's 29.73 fastest time of the night win at Wentworth Park on Saturday.
Kotoni Banner railed through from third at the first turn to lead turning for home before careering away to win by seven lengths, running home at the end of the 520m in 11.73.
"I was tossing up whether to put Kotoni Banner in the Oaks heats but decided against it because I figured she can't run the first splits needed to win a race like that,'' Gibbons said.
"I think Kotoni Banner will get further than 520m because she didn't begin all that well again Tonight but got a nice run through at the first turn and finished so strongly.''
Ava Wine, a litter brother and kennelmate to last year's Million Dollar Chase winner Handsome Prince, took his record from box seven to four wins from as many starts with his runaway 29.76 performance on Saturday.
Knight's Page, who was entered for his first Wentworth Park race since November only because there were no suitable events at the provincials, produced his most impressive city performance to run down heavily backed favourite Arctic Kingdom in 29.87.
Knight's Page, a wide runner, had box three and veered to the right, colliding with Benji Buttons and then running off on the first turn.
But the Gayle Masterson-trained dog stuck to his task and finished determinedly to win running away by over two lengths in 29.87.
It was timely that Knight's Page should win on the weekend of the Richmond Derby as his dam Nyxie is a litter sister to Knight Sprite, who won that race for Masterson in 2016.
Sound Of Silence, who scored his first Wentworth Park win in 30.19 on Saturday, also contested his race "by default.''
Trainer Frank Hurst said: "I entered him for a 600m race at Dapto on Thursday but the race had to be scrapped, so I then nominated for a 618m event at Richmond 24 hours later, and once again the race fell through.
"So while Sound Of Silence is 'crying out' for a middle distance, I had no option but to put him in Tonight's 520m event.''
When Grafton trainer Steve Keep brought Baroque Knight for Wentworth Park last Saturday the dog missed the jump and failed to beat one home, with the couple arriving home at 5am Sunday.
Last Saturday night saw a much happier result for Keep, and while the long trip back to the Northern Rivers won't have been any shorter, the result was a lot better when Baroque Knight led throughout to score in 30.05.
"Before last week all Baroque Knight had at Wentworth Park was a post-to-post hand-slip and he blew the start and then did everything wrong,'' Keep said.
"I knew he had taken no harm from the run because I trialled him up the straight this week and he beat my smart short course dog Copperhead Rogue, who goes like a rocket on the straight.
"Tonight's race was only Baroque Knight's third go beyond 500m so I think there is still improvement in him.''
