Michael Travers Racing

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Michael Travers enjoyed a full circle moment as he landed a winning double and feature-race victory at Gundagai on Saturday.&nbsp;
Travers, who rode just shy of 1000 winners during his storied career as a jockey, triumphed in the 3rd&nbsp;edition of the Hair Of The Dog Cup in 2009, guiding the Scott Wade-trained&nbsp;Regal Instinct&nbsp;to victory.
Now a $35,000 feature race &ndash; up from the $12,000 it was worth in 2009 &ndash; the Hair Of The Dog Cup (1800m) headlines the second day of the Snake Gully Cup carnival.&nbsp;
On Saturday, Travers &ndash; now retired from race-riding and an accomplished trainer in Wagga Wagga &ndash; watched on as Brittany Button rode&nbsp;Dynamic One&nbsp;($11) to a convincing victory in the 2025 Hair Of The Dog Cup.&nbsp;
The apprentice jockey made a telling move 700m out from home, as the 5YO Super One gelding made a strong, sustained run to win by 0.66 of a length.&nbsp;
The result capped off a winning double, and Travers was understandably &lsquo;caught up in the moment&rsquo; following the victory.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Donna Spackman said she has never seen me so happy,&rdquo; Travers said.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of those horses we&rsquo;ve had for a long time, and he&rsquo;s been so close and yet so far on numerous occasions, so it was good to have a big win with him.&rdquo;
Earlier on the program, the talented yet frustrating&nbsp;My Inspiration&nbsp;($8.50) broke through with a dominant victory in the 1400m Maiden Handicap.&nbsp;
Having shown so much potential with an eye-catching six-length trial win as a two-year-old before being tested in stronger maiden events and in Sydney, the 3YO Admire Mars filly has come into her own this preparation.
Following a good second at Corowa earlier this month, everything went right with Pierre Boudvillain in the saddle at Gundagai, as&nbsp;My Inspiration&nbsp;worked hard to find the front and broke their hearts as she pulled away to win by more than a length.&nbsp;
Travers and his team have had to use other methods to get&nbsp;My Inspiration&nbsp;fit and on task, including the water walker, treadmill, trail rides, swimming, and dressage.
&ldquo;It was just good to see something come back our way with her,&rdquo; Travers said.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We have been telling everybody how good she is, and we&rsquo;ve tried so many things with her, but we are starting to win the battle and work her out.&rdquo;
Blazing away as the leading trainer in the Southern Districts in 2025/26, while sitting inside the NSW&rsquo;s top ten for country-trained winners and country prizemoney, Travers has continued his sensational start to the 2025/26 season.
Sitting on 14 wins, Travers&rsquo; team has earned nearly $400,000 in prizemoney, while hitting at better than 10%.&nbsp;
The Wagga stable&rsquo;s focus turns to what will be a busy two days at Bong Bong on Friday and Kembla Grange on Saturday.&nbsp;
Racing at Bong Bong,&nbsp;Saint Loft&nbsp;is set to contest the revered Bong Bong Cup (1560m) while&nbsp;Scruff&rsquo;s Magic&nbsp;and&nbsp;Suncone&nbsp;have been entered in the 1000m Class 2 Handicap and 1200m Class B Handicap, respectively.&nbsp;
The following day, four runners have been entered in the 1400m Class Three Highway Handicap.
With Kembla Grange hosting its annual The Gong meeting, Travers will be hoping to have&nbsp;Swinging High,&nbsp;Sonic Scene,&nbsp;Menzah One, and&nbsp;Pussyfoot&nbsp;running in the $120,000 event.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re looking forward to it,&rdquo; Travers said.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;d like to win a Highway and we can attack the race from all angles, and hopefully get a result.&rdquo; Words: Jeff Hanson Image: Kylie Shaw/Trackpix

Gundagai feature rounds out full circle moment for Michael Travers

Michael Travers

While it might have been a picnic maiden at Harden, there was no wiping the smiles of the Michael Travers Racing team as Suncone (Leandro Ribeiro, $1.80) comfortably broke through in the 1300m Maiden Plate on Saturday.
Handled by pre-apprentice and MTR all-rounder, Charlie-Anne Murray, the result was largely on the back of her hard work and dedication. &ldquo;Suncone wouldn&rsquo;t be in the stables if Charlie wasn&rsquo;t about, and she has ridden her basically every day, and Charlie&rsquo;s hard work is paying dividends for everyone,&rdquo; Travers said.
Murray joined the MTR stable in August and has taken great strides as she works towards becoming an apprentice jockey.
&ldquo;I was looking for horses for Charlie, and she (Suncone) was offered to Danny Beasley to train by Edward Cummings,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;Danny asked me if I was interested, and it just so happened to be the same time when Charlie was coming on board, and she is a nice and quiet horse that has ended up teaching Charlie a lot, while returning a profit for everyone involved.
&ldquo;The horse ended up being a bit of a puller, and that was Charlie&rsquo;s biggest challenge when she turned up, but now Charlie is riding her comfortably every day, and meeting the challenge, which has given her a lot of confidence, and given me a lot more confidence in her ability.&rdquo;
With MTR apprentice Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll set to be sidelined for months due to injury, Travers will be calling upon Murray more than ever.
&ldquo;Charlie has gone from me trying to find her one or two rides every morning to riding five or six every morning,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;She has realistically already stepped into the role, and come Friday, Jaimie (Wyburn) moves on, and Charlie will go from riding five and six a morning to seven and eight a morning, and that&rsquo;s about the most she can do with the time we have.&rdquo;
Murray continues to improve, and Travers is confident the hard-working youngster can fulfil her dream of becoming a jockey.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be a long road, but she is putting in the hard work every single day,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;She&rsquo;s happy to take on board advice and tries to learn every day; she is just a good student.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll take our time with her, and there is no rush, but she&rsquo;s progressing quickly.&rdquo;
Saturday saw two wins for MTR, with the stable also triumphing at Albury with Santolini.
Contesting the 1000m Country Boosted Class One Handicap, Rebecca Bronett Prag was in the saddle as Santolini ($4.40) stormed home for an impressive 1.42 length win.
A successful weekend means Travers has trained nine winners in 2025/26.
He is now building towards a huge three days for the Wagga stable, with runners nominated at Wagga on Friday, Royal Randwick and Tumut on Saturday, and Corowa on Monday.
&ldquo;Things have been going well, but we have lofty goals,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;We are growing the stable more and more, and we need to grow the winners.
&ldquo;We are striving every week and sending around horses wherever we can to achieve that turnover of prizemoney for our owners.&rdquo; Words: Jeff Hanson Image: Dean Mitchell

Suncone delivers MTR well-deserved win

Michael Travers will leave no stone unturned in his attempt to land a breakthrough metropolitan victory.
Heading up the Hume Highway to Sydney on Friday, Michael will stay overnight with Swinging High (Rachel King, 55kg) and Teresprit (Molly Bourke, 54kg), who are set to tackle the $120,000 Class Three Highway Handicap (1600m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
The pair have drawn nicely, with last-start Queanbeyan winner Teresprit set to jump from gate two, while the in-form Swinging High is currently drawn in gate four.
Teresprit, who will only carry 52kg after Bourke&rsquo;s three-kilogram claim, gets in nicely following a decisive win in a 1460m Benchmark 58 Handicap at Queanbeyan on October 12.
Stablemate Swinging High has been racing well, with back-to-back wins at Goulburn and Wagga in August, followed up by an eye-catching sixth, beaten only 1.19 lengths in the 1400m Class Three highway Handicap at Rosehill Gardens on September 13.
Most recently, Swinging High flashed late to finish a nice second behind the handy sprinter and subsequent Wagga winner Off The Press at Wagga on September 29, when taking on an unsuitable 1000m Benchmark 66 Handicap.
Unfortunately, a late scratching at Rosehill Gardens earlier this month, the 5YO Trapeze Artist mare has since trialled at Wagga on October 18, running a good second over the 1000m.
Despite both Teresprit and Swinging High being ruled as outsiders by bookmakers, MTR is quietly confident of a strong showing in town.
It&rsquo;s set to be a big day for MTR, with runners also going around at Albury and Harden on Saturday.
At Albury, Graham, Jaimie, and Andy are on deck as Extra Hands (Blaike McDougall, 55kg) and Winning Winnie (Rebecca Bronett Prag, 53.5kg) jump from gate seven and one, respectively, in the Country Boosted Maiden Handicap (1500m).
Later on the program, Deep Joy (Cory Parish, 56.5kg) and Santolini (Rebecca Bronett Prag, 55kg) have drawn gate eight and five, respectively, in the Class One Handicap (1000m).
Charlie is looking after the team at the Harden picnic meeting, with Scruff&rsquo;s Magic (Anaelle Gangotena, 62kg) drawing gate three in the Open Trophy Handicap (1100m), while last-start Young placegetter Suncone(Leandro Ribeiro, 65kg) has drawn nicely with gate two in the Maiden Plate (1300m).
MTR may then back up at Wangaratta on Monday, with a handful of gallopers nominated to race.
&nbsp;
Words: Jeff Hanson Image: Lance Fearne

MTR duo set to tackle Royal Randwick Highway

Teresprit continued the excellent run of Michael Travers and his big Wagga stable, winning at Queanbeyan on Sunday.
Contesting the 1460m Benchmark 58 Handicap for fillies and mares, Rebecca Bronett Prag was in the saddle.
The pair raced toward the rear of the field, but Bronett Prag gave the 4YO Territories mare every chance as they finished strongly and charged to an impressive 0.38 of a length win.
&ldquo;She (Bronett-Prag) is riding well beyond her two-kilogram claim,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;She uses her brain in races, and we had a couple of plans going into the race, and I told her not to panic if she got back.
&ldquo;They always fan at Queanbeyan, and she took every advantage, and saving that ground made all the difference.&rdquo;
Teresprit was formerly trained by the Lindsay Park operation, arriving in Wagga with nine starts to her name for one win and one minor placing.
In three starts for Travers, the Wagga galloper has caught the eye on each occasion and, following a good second in a 1200m Benchmark 58 Handicap at Cootamundra on October 5, was well-suited over more ground and racing against her own sex at Queanbeyan.
Travers has made training tried horses an art, landing most of his wins with gallopers that have been sold on, and he explained how Teresprit came to be in his stable.
&ldquo;The owner rang me out of the blue, and they follow us on Facebook, and they originally sent me a horse by the name of Simeon,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;He had bad knees, and after some X-rays, we came to the conclusion that it wasn&rsquo;t worth pushing on with him.
&ldquo;So, he was retired straight away, and Jaimie Wyburn, who works for me, now has him as a pony, so that&rsquo;s worked out well.
&ldquo;The owner did pay a bit of money for him, so it was disappointing, but at the very next sale, they bought another horse, and that was Teresprit, so it&rsquo;s a good result for them.&rdquo;
Potentially better suited over more ground, Travers believes the best is yet to come for Teresprit, likening her to stable star and Cowra and Corowa Cup winner, Mathrin.
&ldquo;She does her job, and she is a bit like Mathrin,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;She is a little trier, and she&rsquo;s not real big, but she puts in on race day, and that&rsquo;s a good recipe for success.
&ldquo;I think she will get out over further, but I&rsquo;m not exactly sure where to go from here.
&ldquo;There is a (1600m Benchmark) 58 at Corowa (On November 3) for her, or a Highway (Handicap at Royal Randwick on October 25) over a mile, where we are taking Swinging High, and she might tag along for the ride if she can get into that race.&rdquo;
The Michael Travers Racing team has started the 2025/26 season strongly, landing seven wins, while earning connections $241,990 in the process.
Travers will be hoping the good run continues at Goulburn on Thursday, followed by meetings at Wagga and Wodonga on Saturday. Words: Jeff Hanson Image: Lance Fearne&nbsp;

Teresprit tears past her rivals at Queanbeyan

A trip to Rosehill Gardens on Saturday with the in-form Swinging High will headline a lively three days for the Michael Travers Racing team.
The 5YO Trapeze Artist mare has been racing in brilliant form, with back-to-back wins at Goulburn and Wagga in August, followed up by an eye-catching sixth, beaten only 1.19 lengths in the 1400m Class Three highway Handicap at Rosehill Gardens on September 13.
Most recently, Swinging High flashed late to finish a nice second behind the handy sprinter Off The Press at Wagga on September 29, when taking on an unsuitable 1000m Benchmark 66 Handicap.
Back in her grade and over more ground, connections will be hoping the Wagga runner can deliver Travers his first metropolitan victory.
Rachel King is in the saddle, with Swinging High to carry 54kg, but she has drawn poorly with gate 16.
Kicking off an exciting period for the team, MTR will also send up to three runners to Canberra on Friday, up to six at Albury and two at Young on Saturday, and up to three at Queanbeyan on Sunday.
See below for runners accepted to race over the next few days.
Canberra &ndash; Friday, October 10
Race 6: 1000m Benchmark 65 Handicap (4.22 pm)
Kahawaty (John Kissick, 61kg)
Race 7:1400m TAB Federal (5.02 pm)
Mathrin (Jean Van Overmeire, 55kg)
Race 8: 1300m Class 1 Handicap 5.40 pm
Menzah One (John Kissick, 61.5kg) 
Rosehill Gardens &ndash; Saturday, October 11
Race 1: 1500m TAB Highway Handicap (12.35 pm)
Swinging High (Rachel King, 54kg)
&nbsp;
Albury &ndash; Saturday, October 11
Race 2: 1400m Class 1 Handicap (1.56 pm)
Sonic Scene (John Kissick, 59kg)
Showrata (Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll, 55kg)
Race 3: 1175m Maiden Plate (2.31 pm)
Air Control (John Kissick, 59kg)
Race 5: 900m Maiden Plate (3.46 pm)
Winning Winnie (Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll, 57kg)
Race 6: 900m Benchmark 58 Handicap (4.24 pm)
Deep Joy (Pierre Boudvillain, 56.5kg)
Race 7: 1175m Class 3 Handicap (5.04 pm)
Taluk (John Kissick, 57.5kg)
&nbsp;
Young (Picnics) &ndash; Saturday, October 11
Race 3: 1200m Maiden Plate (2.45 pm)
Suncone (Anaelle Gangotena, 65kg)
Race 4: 1200m Class 3 Trophy Handicap (3.30 pm)
Scruff&rsquo;s Magic (Anaelle Gangotena, 64kg)
&nbsp;
Queanbeyan &ndash; Sunday, October 12
Race 6: 1460m Benchmark 58 Handicap (4.15 pm)
Dita Von (John Kissick, 61.5kg)
Teresprit (Rebecca Bronett Prag, 58.5kg)
Race 7: 1460m Benchmark 58 Handicap (4.50 pm)
Showrata (Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll, 55.5kg)
&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t forget, we&rsquo;re about to send out the first of our monthly newsletters. To subscribe, <a href="http://www.michaeltraversracing.com.au/contact">click here</a> and scroll to the bottom of the page. Words/Image: Jeff Hanson

Rosehill trip headlines three massive days for MTR

Michael Travers and his hard-working MTR team enjoyed one of their most successful days at the races on Monday, celebrating a red-letter day at Wagga Wagga&rsquo;s Murrumbidgee Turf Club.
Starting a mammoth team of 13 runners on his home deck, Travers trained three winners, while preparing the trifecta in the 1400m Class One Handicap and the quinella in the 1300m Benchmark 58 Handicap.
Kicking things off on the right foot, the highly touted Sonic Scene (John Kissick, $1.50) resumed in the 1200m Maiden Plate and was heavily supported into the short-priced favourite.
Despite being forced to the outside fence in the six-furlong event, the 4YO Shamus Award gelding stormed home for a super-impressive 3.69 length victory. An above-average type, connections will be excited for what lies ahead for Sonic Scene, who will be better suited over a longer trip.
Two races later, the trio of Cinephile (Rebecca Bronett Prag, $5.50), Dita Von (John Kissick, $3.60), and Showrata (Cory Parish, $8.50) finished a half-length apart when running first, second, and third, respectively, in the 1400m Country Boosted Class One Handicap.
In a thrilling finish, Cinephile finished off the race nicely to edge past a game Dita Von, while Showrata ran an eye-catching third.
The in-form Swinging High (Rebecca Bronett Prag, $6.50) ran a massive race in the 1000m Benchmark 66 Handicap to finish second by the impressive Off The Press.
Swinging High was stepping up in grade and back in distance, but the 5YO Trapeze Artist mare made good ground late to continue a terrific preparation that has netted connections two wins and $42,000 in prizemoney.
Rounding out a sensational day at the races, MTR prepared the quinella in the 1300m Benchmark 58 Handicap as Taluk (John Kissick, $5.50) powered to an impressive 3.45 length win over stablemate Gold Tracker (Billy Owen, $5.50).
Travers, with six wins under his belt in 2025/26, will be hoping the triumphant run can continue into the October long weekend, with a big team of gallopers entered across meetings at Wagga on Saturday, Cootamundra on Sunday, and Goulburn on Tuesday.
&nbsp;
Words/Image: Jeff Hanson

Red-letter day as MTR lands Wagga treble

Michael Travers and his hard-working team are preparing for a mammoth two days, with up to 17 starters across meetings at Dubbo on Sunday and Wagga Wagga on Monday.
Chasing a win in the $50,000 Picnic Sprint Championships with recent Cootamundra and Boorowa winner, Scruff&rsquo;s Magic, Travers will likely take four runners to Dubbo.
The 7YO Magic Albert mare won her way into the picnic final and resumed from a spell at Canberra earlier this month, taking on the 1000m Benchmark 50 Handicap.
Despite drawing the carpark at Dubbo (gate 19), Travers has locked in talented amateur jockey Anaelle Gangotena (63kg) in what will be the first race on the Western Districts program.
Also racing at Dubbo are the returning My Inspiration and Pussyfoot, along with the in-form Santolini, all of which will be ridden by champion jockey, Blaike McDougall.
A Wagga winner in a 1300m Maiden Plate last preparation, Santolini (55kg) was super impressive when finishing off strongly to run second in a 1180m Class One Handicap at Gundagai earlier this month.
A late scratching at Wagga recently, the 4YO Manhattan Rain mare has drawn awkwardly (gate 18) but will likely get back and storm home in the $30,000 1300m Class One Handicap.
The highly-touted My Inspiration (55kg), who raced at Randwick back in May, has become a project for stable apprentice Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll and the team, and she resumes in gate one when taking on the $40,000 Country Boosted 1000m Maiden Plate.
Rounding out the stable&rsquo;s chances at Dubbo is the talented Pussyfoot (57kg), which has drawn gate 7 in the $50,000 1100m Country Magic Class Two Plate.
Tested in metropolitan company last preparation, the 4YO Shamus Award mare gets back to her grade in a country-only race.
There is a chance Pussyfoot might head to Wagga Wagga instead, with home track advantage appealing after she drew softly with gate 3 and only 55kg 1200m Class three Handicap.
Following the 10-hour-plus round-trip to Dubbo, the MTR team backs up with up to 14 runners at Wagga.
A few stable stalwarts are on show in the 1000m Benchmark 66 Handicap, with the in-form Swinging High(Rebecca Bronett Prag, 56kg), metro placegetter Dynamic One (Blaike McDougall, 62.5kg), and Holbrook Cup winner Kahawaty (Cory Parish, 61.5kg) all racing.
Continuing a huge day, Studio Artist (Cory Parish, 55kg) takes on the 1600m Maiden Plate, and Sonic Scene (John Kissick, 59kg) resumes in the 1200m Maiden Plate.
Extra Hands (Rebecca Bronett Prag, 58kg) is in the 1400m Maiden Handicap, while Winning Winnie(58kg) is an emergency.
Dita Von (John Kissick, 57kg), Showrata (Quayde Krogh, 55kg), and Cinephile (Rebecca Bronett Prag, 55kg) headlined a three-pronged attack in the 1400m Class One Handicap.
Making his debut for the stable, Menzah One (Mathew Cahill, 57.5kg) resumes in the same 1200m Class Three Handicap as Pussyfoot.
Finishing off the stable&rsquo;s chances at Wagga, last-start winner Gold Tracker (Billy Owen, 60kg) and Taluk (John Kissick, 59.5kg) go head-to-head in the 1300m Benchmark 58 Handicap.
We wish all connections the best of luck. Words/Photo: Jeff Hanson

Dubbo expedition leads to busy Wagga meeting for MTR

The in-form Swinging High (gate 11, 54kg) will get her opportunity to make it three wins on the trot in the 1400m Class Three Highway Handicap at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Despite being put up as a 126/1 outsider by bookmakers, Mick is giving the 5YO Trapeze Artist mare every chance, sending her down on Friday, where she will settle in at Randwick before racing on Saturday.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got runners at Goulburn today, and Graeme (Byatt) and Charlie (Murray) are going there with the truck, and I&rsquo;ve got the car and float going to Sydney, where we will stay with Craig Carmody, which works out really well.&rdquo;
Swinging High has been racing in great form since arriving at the Michael Travers Racing stables.
Kicking off her preparation, Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll was in the saddle as the pair flashed late at Corowa on July 24, beaten less than two lengths in a 1000m Class One Handicap by the impressive Dekadance.
Since then, O&rsquo;Driscoll has enjoyed good success on Swinging High, guiding the Wagga galloper to a strong win in the 1100m Benchmark 58 Handicap at Goulburn on August 11, before the pair backed up and comfortably won the 1200m Class Two Handicap at Wagga on August 28.
&ldquo;She&rsquo;s in a purple patch at the moment, and enjoying her racing,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;Funnily enough, she does nothing in her work, and a maiden horse would beat her during trackwork, but she turns up on race day, which is all that matters.&rdquo;
Unfortunately for O&rsquo;Driscoll, she has not been approved to ride in metropolitan races yet, so she won&rsquo;t travel to Sydney, but a capable replacement, Rebecca Bronett Prag, will be in the saddle for connections.
With Rosehill a heavy eight at the time of publishing and Swinging High boasting good heavy track form (3:2-0-0), Travers is hopeful his mare will appreciate the conditions in Sydney. &nbsp;
&ldquo;She&rsquo;ll absolutely handle the heavy track,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t had a chance to have her on a dry track, and on the wet, she has been good.
&ldquo;From the draw, I&rsquo;d say she will be midfield or further back, and from there, we&rsquo;ll pray for some luck.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s set to be a busy few days for Travers and his team, who have four runners at Goulburn on Friday, and another nine accepted to race at Corowa on Monday. Wods/Image: Jeff Hanson

Swinging High chasing hat-trick in Rosehill Highway

Michael Travers Racing is excited to announce that established apprentice jockey Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll and jockey-in-training Charlie-Anne Murray have joined the stable.
Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll, indentured to Albury trainer Donna Scott, has joined the stable on a three-month loan.
Now 46 victories into her career, the 21-year-old has won 8 races for the stable, and Travers is excited to have the Irish hoop working for him.
&ldquo;She has been coming across now for the best part of a month for one day a week, and we know we work well together,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;It was very good of Donna to allow that, and now we have a good working relationship on race day and during trackwork.
&ldquo;Hopefully, we can build upon that, now that she is here more permanently.&rdquo;
With a team of 26 horses in work, Travers races all over the Southern Districts and South East, meaning O&rsquo;Driscoll will have a lot of chances at good rides. &nbsp;
It also benefits MTR, with O&rsquo;Driscoll on hand to ride a lot of trackwork and learn from Travers, who rode almost a thousand winners during his stellar career in the saddle.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s great for us that she&rsquo;ll ride our horses in track work, and it is also good for her to understand the horses a little better,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;Sometimes when you get young or new horses, it helps to know them a bit better, and she is good as she listens to instructions, and she is only going to get more familiar with the horses.
&ldquo;The move is already starting to pay dividends, and at Goulburn the other day, we were able to work on riding and technique, and we&rsquo;ll continue to do that.&rdquo;
While O&rsquo;Driscoll will see her name in upcoming form guides riding for the MTR team, Charlie-Anne Murray&nbsp;will be hard at work behind the scenes as she continues toward an apprenticeship.
&ldquo;Charlie is great, and she will go through the process of improving her riding, then riding in gallops, then going to jump outs, trials, and hopefully we see her out there on race day,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;She joins us at a good time, and it&rsquo;s good having both Charlie and Amy at different stages, as they can learn and work with each other.
&ldquo;Plus, it means I get to watch them a lot more instead of having to ride every single horse so that I can work with them on different things.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s an exciting time for MTR, who race at Wagga on Thursday. Words/Image: Jeff Hanson

O’Driscoll and Murray join MTR

Michael Travers Racing will send up to nine runners around at Wagga on Thursday, and connections will be hopeful that home track advantage stands for something on a massive eight-race program.
Boasting many chances, Taluk (Pierre Boudvillain, 55kg) from gate 4 in the 1200m Class 2 Handicap could be the stable&rsquo;s best chance.
A winner on a heavy track over the 900m at Albury on June 16, the 4YO Shalaa mare has mixed her form this preparation but did catch the eye, running third in a 1200m Benchmark 58 Handicap at Wagga on August 4, again on a heavy track.
Taluk appears to enjoy some give in the track, and with rain on the way, she will be right in this event.
As will stablemate Swinging High (Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll, 53kg), who is fresh off a good win in the Country Boosted 1100m Benchmark 58 Handicap at Goulburn on August 11.
The 5YO Trapeze Artist mare has raced very well for the stable in just two starts, and
Is another galloper boasting winning form on heavy tracks, and with next to no weight, Swinging High could be a knockout chance from gate 3.
Mick could have a decision to make, with both Taluk and Swinging High emergencies for Saturday&rsquo;s $120,000 1400m Class 2 Highway Handicap at Rosehill Gardens.
Anabaa&rsquo;s Spirit (Blaike McDougall, 56.5kg) is a chance when taking on the 1600m Class One/Maiden Plate.
Champion country jockey Blaike McDougall is in the saddle, but the 4YO Shalaa gelding has drawn awkwardly with gate 11.
This race is a touch harder when looking at the top three weights, but Anabaa&rsquo;s Spirit has been racing well, and over 1600m at Albury on August 19, finished a good second.
Maidens Seasmoke (Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll, 53kg) and Roullottie (Blaike McDougall, 56kg) get their chances, taking on the 1200m Country Boosted Maiden Plate and 1400m Maiden Handicap, respectively.
Another maiden is Extra Hands (Jean Van Overmeire, 56kg), who will jump from gate 13 in what looks to be a tough $50,000 1200m Super Maiden.
Star Empire (John Kissick, 57.5kg) has been building into his preparation and gets up to a suitable distance when taking on the 1600m Benchmark 58 Handicap.
Rounding out the stable&rsquo;s chances is the returning Gold Tracker (Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll, 58.5kg) and Showrata(Cory Parish, 55kg) in the Country Boosted 1200m Benchmark 58 Handicap.
&nbsp;
Words/Image: Jeff Hanson

News

Gundagai feature rounds out full circle moment for Michael Travers

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