Orange is over 200km from Goulburn but western districts trainer Scott Board has defied the "tyranny of distance" by winning the 2023 premiership at the Lilac City track.
Last year Board made a string of six-hour round trips to race at Goulburn and was rewarded with being crowned the track's most successful trainer of 2023.
Trainer Scott Board | Photo: Jason McKeown
"There are no race tracks close to where I am so I don't have a lot of choice,'' Board explained.
"When we race at Goulburn we leave home at 6am and get back around 7pm so it is a long day.
"But the people who run Goulburn are friendly and helpful, the food is good, and the track is excellent, with curator Greg Hore always having the racing surface spot on.''
Spring Feature, trained by Scott Board, winning at Goulburn in October.
Caitlyn and Ricky Brewer, long prominent among the sport's quiet achievers, enjoyed their most successful year in 2023.
The Brewers had 227 starters but posted a remarkable 55 wins and 34 second placings with 38 minor placegetters.
Ricky Brewer explained: "Caitlyn and I met at the track 14 years ago and have been together ever since, although we were only able to go full-time for the past three years.
"Caitlyn's uncle and auntie Jeff and Jane Crawford are successful Queensland trainers while I got interested in the sport after my brother Daniel worked for Jason Mackay when he was among the leading trainers in NSW.
"Caitlyn and I haven't taken out any huge races but Oscar Boaz gave us our biggest win when he took out The Macca, the Group 2 Black Top Consolation final at Ladbrokes Gardens, in September.
"Before that our biggest success had been in 2021 when Prancing Diva won the Orange Cup at Bathurst.
"Caitlyn and I have 18 in work at present and believe the most promising among them would be Westside Bliss.
"She won her maiden over 297m at Dapto on December 28 and while her time of 17.42 was nothing flash her run was outstanding.
"Westside Bliss got run off the track at the first turn so wasn't entitled to win but she took off, regained the lead, and came away to win by four lengths.
"Because we are confident she will run a strong 520m we are pinning a lot of hopes on her in 2024.''
Westside Bliss at Dapto on December 28.
Still Water's trainer Garry Coles is confident his exciting prospect will run 520m but believes he needs more field experience so the dog will chase his fourth successive win in a 297m fourth and fifth grade at Dapto on Thursday night.
Still Water, who followed wins over 320m at Richmond and 297m at Dapto with a Richmond 401m success on New Year's Eve, has box eight at Dapto.
"The plan at this stage is to send him over 365m at Nowra next Monday and then step him up to a 520m race at the provincials a week later,'' Coles said.
Michelle and Mick Lill believe they could have another More Sauce on their hands following Colonial Custard's sizzling 22.08 win over 400m at Maitland on Monday.
The Lills' More Sauce, the Goulburn 350m record holder, retired with 24 wins and 10 seconds from 43 races, among them a near-record 21.95 Maitland 400m win.
Colonial Custard took his tally to 10 wins from 17 starts on Monday and Mick Lill said: "He could be a group dog in the making.
"More Sauce holds the first section record of 5.15 at Maitland and Colonial Custard is already getting close to those figures.''
