Michael Travers Racing

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Michael Travers has been targeting a Tumut-Braidwood Cup double this preparation with five-time winner, Kahawaty.
In 2025, the Pride Of Dubai mare went close, finishing second for John Kissick in the Tumut Cup (1400m), beaten less than a length, before backing up and triumphing for Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll in the Holbrook Cup (1400m).
Despite going close, the seven-year-old hasn&rsquo;t won since, notching minor place finishes at Wagga and Narrandera, but she has been showcasing good form in recent outings.
Two starts back, the Wagga galloper had Shaun Guymer in the saddle and was doing her best work late to finish 4th, beaten 2.3 lengths in the Adelong Cup on January 2.
Last start, she travelled to Parkes and finished 5th in a stronger Benchmark 82 Handicap, beaten by 2.28 lengths.
At Tumut today, Kahawaty gets in nicely with gate one and 55kg, and Wagga jockey Josh Richards is aboard for the ride.
Still, it is a nice race, headlined by runner-up in the Tumbarumba Cup runner-up Astunner (Blaike McDougall, 57kg), and the enigmatic Gundy Guy (Billy Own, 58.5kg).
Michael Travers will take two runners at Tumut today, with maiden galloper Ballandella Street (Josh Richards, 57kg) taking on the 1400m Maiden Handicap. Words: Jeff Hanson Image: Holbrook Race Club

Kahawaty out to go one better in Tumut Cup

Michael Travers

Michael Travers has continued his success with tried horses, this time with his $600 purchase, Jenni Divine.
Picked up as a broken in two-year-old during the January 2024 Inglis Digital Online Sale, Travers had previously joked that the float trip cost more than the Divine Prophet filly.
A speedy customer, Jenni Divine, was on her way to a maiden victory before her last preparation ended abruptly after she suffered a near career-ending suspensory ligament injury.
Still, Travers persisted, nursing the speedster back to health, and this time in, connections were rewarded with a second-up victory in the $50,000 Super Maiden Plate at Wagga&rsquo;s Murrumbidgee Turf Club on Australia Day.
With Shaun Guymer in the saddle, Jenni Divine ($8.50) shot out of gate 10, found the front, and led all the way to record a comfortable victory.
Now 11 starts into her career, which includes a win and five minor placings, the cheap buy has earned connections over $50,000 in prizemoney.
&ldquo;She&rsquo;s been a work in progress,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;She went out with the suspensory issue, and they are pretty hard to come back from, but she has done a great job, and Shaun has ridden her well.&rdquo;
The Wagga galloper was second-up on her home track, which followed an impressive third placing when resuming from a ten-month break in the 1200m Maiden Plate for fillies and mares at Wagga on January 15.
On that day, Jenni Divine led before fading in the final stages.
&ldquo;I said to Shaun she had taken a great deal of benefit from that run,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;She was just jumping out of her skin all week, and we were looking forward to it, and we got the right result.&rdquo;
Connections, including Narrandera Race Club Racing Manager, Michael Bailey, have been patient with their mare, and Travers was pleased to see everyone rewarded as the winner took home the $22,000.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s fantastic. She deserves to win a race like this,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;She has been thereabouts a lot of times, and to get a good one like this is great.&rdquo;
It was another good day for the stable, who watched on as Menzah One (Blaike McDougall) narrowly went down in the 1600m Class One/Maiden Handicap and Dynamic One (Blaike McDougall) finished a gallant third in the Australia Day Cup (2000m).
On a good day&rsquo;s racing at Wagga, the Australia Day Cup (2000m) was won by the Gary Colvin-trained Pride Of Jezza(Jeff Penza, $3.40).
The Wagga galloper, a 4YO son of Pride Of Dubai, is racing in exceptional form, winning three of his past four.
On the same program was the feature sprint, the Wagga Scamper (1200m) Benchmark 82 Handicap, won by the Rob Potter-trained Action King (Damon Budler, $2.90). Words: Jeff Hanson Image: Kylie Shaw/Trackpix Photography

$600 Purchase Lands Divine Result In Wagga Super Maiden

Michael Travers owns a bit of racing history as the first New South Wales&ndash;based dual licence (riding/training) holder.
Retiring from the saddle three years ago, he is our latest QUICK QUESTIONS subject&hellip;
What is your first racing memory?
Watching race replays on Wide World Of Sports and thinking why is this on when I could be watching sport&hellip; I have come full circle!
Who are your favourite horses and why?
I used to go to any meeting that Super Impose or Show Country raced at in NSW. Super Impose was unreal to watch every start and Show Country was a pocket rocket with guts.
Who is the best horse you&rsquo;ve been involved with?
I was lucky enough to spend time with Paul Perry when he had Choisir and was able to ride him in work.
And the best horse you have seen?
Best horse I&rsquo;ve seen live, probably Vo Rouge&hellip; he beat up Super Impose and Better Loosen Up for fun and both were champions in their own right.
Who do you admire most in racing?
I couldn&rsquo;t single any one person out as I have been blessed to have been involved in so many facets of racing.
What is one change/improvement you&rsquo;d love to see in racing?
Mid-week highway races to help boost field sizes in town.
What&rsquo;s the funniest moment you&rsquo;ve experienced in racing?
A jockey had to hide his undies post-race after making a rather unfortunate mistake; but he was called out when it was noticed!
What is your favourite pastime outside of racing?
I don&rsquo;t have the time I used to but I used to love going gold prospecting and I follow the NFL closely, playing a lot of fantasy football.
What is your favourite T.V show?
Firefly, Boston Legal and The Blacklist are shows I have watched several times over.
What slogan summarizes your outlook on life?
The harder you work the luckier you get.
Favourite food?
I love pretty much all food, I love a buffet&hellip; likely to attack the seafood first.
Favourite racecourses?
Anywhere I&rsquo;ve had success; but I am partial to Gundagai, Wagga and Bega.
&nbsp;
Words: Kristen Manning/Just Horse Racing
Image: Bradley Photos

Quick Questions – Get to know trainer Michael Travers

<a name="OLE_LINK1"></a>Trainer Michael Travers will be on the road to Gundagai with a couple of stablemates directly descended from two of the greatest grey mares to have raced in Australia, New Zealand and in one case &ndash; Japan.
Travers' grey three-year-old filly&nbsp;<a title="www.racenet.com.au" href="https://www.racenet.com.au/profiles/horse/seasmoke">Seasmoke</a>&nbsp;boasts Dave O'Sullivan's legendary Kiwi mare Horlicks as her fourth dam.
A winner of seven Group 1s in total, Horlicks is best remembered for her epic win in the 1989 Japan Cup setting a new world record time of 2:22.2 seconds for the 2400m.
<a title="www.racenet.com.au" href="https://www.racenet.com.au/profiles/horse/freud-aus-1">Freud</a>, meanwhile, is a cleverly-named son of So You Think whose third dam is none other than Bounding Away.
Not only did the Tommy Smith-bred, owned and trained grey filly collect the Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper double in 1986, she returned at three to win the AJC Oaks.
Seasmoke, who resumes in the&nbsp;<a title="www.racenet.com.au" href="https://www.racenet.com.au/form-guide/horse-racing/gundagai-20260102/adelong-engineering-and-construction-country-boosted-maiden-handicap-race-2/overview">Adelong Engineering And Construction Country Boosted Maiden Handicap (1180m)</a>, failed to make much of an impression at her four-start first campaign but has more talent than her resume would indicate.
"She is definitely better than her form reads," Travers says.
"She was just learning all throughout last preparation. She drew wide twice and then I think we rode her upside down once when we finally she did have a good draw.
"She's had a jumpout leading into this and she will improve as she goes but I think she should be forward enough to run a nice race."
Freud, meanwhile, has been around the mark in all three runs since finishing fifth at Sandown-Hillside with Melbourne Cup winning jockey Jye McNeil in the saddle at what was his last run for Team Hawkes back on October 1.
Freud's first mission of 2026 is the&nbsp;<a title="www.racenet.com.au" href="https://www.racenet.com.au/form-guide/horse-racing/gundagai-20260102/gbe-electrical-country-boosted-class-1-handicap-race-4/overview">GBE Electrical Country Boosted Class 1 Handicap (1400m)</a>.
"He's had a bit of a break,'' Travers says.&nbsp;
"He is very fresh coming into this and he should be finishing quite well.
"I don't know that Gundagai is a track that really suits him, he is a horse that needs a bigger, open, track but we're basically kicking off a new preparation even though it's not a long spell."
Travers saddles-up another of dual Cox Plate winner So You Think's offspring, namely&nbsp;<a title="www.racenet.com.au" href="https://www.racenet.com.au/profiles/horse/satashi-aus">Satashi</a>&nbsp;who looks ready and able to stretch her stamina to 1800m in the&nbsp;<a title="www.racenet.com.au" href="https://www.racenet.com.au/form-guide/horse-racing/gundagai-20260102/woodys-earthmoving-spraying-benchmark-58-handicap-race-5/overview">Woody's Earthmoving Benchmark 58 Handicap</a>.
Satashi has finished third and fourth respectively, both times at Wagga, in her only two outings so far for Travers.
"She's done really well,'' he said.
"If we could be a little bit closer, a little bit handier, would obviously be helpful around Gundagai.
"She got back last start but that was more so the bad draw but she is going as well as she can go."
Travers is likely to have two runners in the feature&nbsp;<a title="www.racenet.com.au" href="https://www.racenet.com.au/form-guide/horse-racing/gundagai-20260102/adelong-services-citizens-and-bowling-club-adelong-cup-benchmark-66-handicap-race-7/overview">Adelong Cup (1400m)</a>&nbsp;with&nbsp;<a title="www.racenet.com.au" href="https://www.racenet.com.au/profiles/horse/gold-tracker-aus">Gold Tracker</a>&nbsp;and former Leilani Lodge resident&nbsp;<a title="www.racenet.com.au" href="https://www.racenet.com.au/profiles/horse/kahawaty-aus">Kahawaty</a>&nbsp;chasing the lion's share of the $27,000 purse.
"I was disappointed with Gold Tracker's last start but he gets in with a much kinder weight this time,'' Travers explained.
"He's won there at the track previously so it is a nice race for him.&nbsp;
"This is the race that we have pencilled in for Kahawaty for a long time.
"She is a 66 going into a 66 rating race. She is probably getting on into the twilight of career.
"She'll head towards the Tumbarumba Cup and the Holbrook Cup again but we need to see something out of her run at Gundagai to keep progressing forward." Words: Shayne O'Cass Image: Bradley Photos

Travers' blue bloods ready to shine at Gundagai

What a season for Michael Travers Racing!
Not only have Michael and the team started the second-most runners (169) in the country NSW, in 2025/26, winning 20 races, and earning connections in the sixth-most country-trained prizemoney ($499,805.00), MTR landed an incredible 37 winners in 2025.
Stable stalwart Mathrin won the 2025 Cowra Cup (Mathew Cahill), Corowa Cup (Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll) and Canberra&rsquo;s Sky Caller&rsquo;s Cup (Jessica Brookes).
Dynamic One (Brittany Button) triumphed in Gundagai&rsquo;s Hair Of The Dog Cup, and Kahawaty (Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll) was a class above in the Holbrook Cup.
Add to that, MTR trained two Wagga trebles, which included our first ever trifecta.
Enjoying success all over the south, Mick and the team also landed doubles at Gundagai, Corowa, Wagga, and Albury, and enjoyed success at the Wagga, Albury, and Gundagai carnivals.
We welcomed Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll and Charlie Anne-Murray to the team, and we&rsquo;ve seen so much growth as we build toward a bigger and better 2026.
In 2025, we won races at Cowra, Corowa, the Sapphire Coast, Holbrook, Wagga, Goulburn, Carrathool, Cootamundra, Boorowa, Harden, Albury, Narrandera, Queanbeyan, and Gundagai.
Teaming up with many jockeys, we also experienced success with Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll, Rebecca Bronett-Prag, Pierre Boudvillain, Shaun Guymer, John Kissick, Josh Richards, Blaike McDougall, Jessica Brookes, Brittany Button, Brendan Ward, Mathew Cahill, Leandro Ribeiro, and Emily Waters.
Incredibly, all of our success in 2025 was with tried horses &ndash; placing an exclamation mark on a breakout season for Mick and his hard-working team.
2026 promises to be a bigger and better year, and our stable is always welcoming to new owners with their horses, and owners looking to race upcoming purchases with MTR.
2025 winners
Mathrin (Mathew Cahill) Cowra Cup
Showrata (Pierre Boudvillain) Sapphire Coast
Kahawaty (Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll) Holbrook Cup
Pussyfoot (Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll) Wagga
Star Empire (Shaun Guymer) Wagga
Mathrin (Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll) Corowa Cup
Saint Loft (Shaun Guymer) Goulburn
Hisako Lady (Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll) Carrathool
Scruff&rsquo;s Magic (Emily Waters) Cootamundra Picnics
Squeaking (Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll) Goulburn
Cinephile (Rebecca Bronett Prag) Wagga Carnival
Scruff&rsquo;s Magic (Leandro Ribeiro) Boorowa
Santolini (John Kissick) Wagga
Taluk (Pierre Boudvillain) Albury
Miss Pepeha (Mathew Cahill) Narrandera
Dita Von (Josh Richards) Corowa
Gioia River (Brendan Ward) Corowa
Swinging High (Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll) Goulburn
Swinging High (Amy O&rsquo;Driscoll) Wagga
Saint Loft (Blaike McDougall) Wagga
Taluk (John Kissick) Wagga
Cinephile (Rebecca Bronett-Prag) Wagga
Sonic Scene (John Kissick) Wagga
Teresprit (Rebecca Bronett-Prag) Queanbeyan
Suncone (Leandro Ribeiro) Harden Picnics
Santolini (Rebecca Bronett-Prag) Albury
Star Empire (John Kissick) Wagga
Pussyfoot (John Kissick) Wagga
Sonic Scene (Rebecca Bronett-Prag) Wagga
Dynamic One (Brittany Button) Gundagai
My Inspiration (Pierre Boudvillain) Gundagai
Mathrin (Jessica Brookes) Canberra
Gold Tracker (Rebecca Bronett-Prag) Albury
Demi God (Josh Richards) Wagga
Gold Tracker (Pierre Boudvillain) Albury
Santolini (Rebecca Bronett-Prag) Goulburn
Demi God (Shaun Guymer) Wagga WordsImage: Jeff Hanson

MTR celebrates best year ever

The Michael Travers express isn&rsquo;t showing any signs of slowing down as 2025 comes to a close.
Bringing up the stable&rsquo;s 19th win of season 2025/26, Santolini scored career win number three in the Country Boosted Benchmark 58 Handicap (1100m) at Goulburn on Friday.
Given a beautiful and patient steer by Rebecca Bronett-Prag, the 4YO Manhattan Rain mare raced a tad worse than midfield before storming home late to knock off the early leaders.
Loyal punters were rewarded as well, with the Wagga galloper paying as much as $26 for the win on the TAB.
A $7000 Inglis Digital purchase, owned by Dani Hamlin and Greg Brown of Royal Bloodstock, Santolini has now won $92,560 &ndash; with $75,000 earned while racing under the MTR banner.
Travers&rsquo; attention will now turn to a busy end of the year, with meetings at Wagga on Christmas Eve (Wednesday) and Tumut on Boxing Day (Friday).
The in-form stable has nine runners entered at Wagga, including Dynamic One and Mathrin in the time-honoured Ted Ryder Cup (1600m), Kahawaty in the Benchmark 82 Sprint (1200m), and the in-form Gold Tracker in the Heat Of The Wagga Stayers Series (1800m).
The team also has four runners entered at Tumut, with stable favourite Saint Loft to headline the stable&rsquo;s chances in the Benchmark 50 Handicap (1600m).
A busy period will continue into the New Year, with Gundagai to race on January 2, and followers will likely see popular youngster&nbsp;My Inspiration take on the Country Boosted Class One Handicap (1400m).
Travers has continued to give his owners the best chance of a return on investment in 2025/26, starting the second-most runners in country NSW (162), while landing the seventh-most country-trained winners (19), and earning his connections the sixth-most country prizemoney ($478,880).
Readers can stay tuned for some exciting announcements regarding tried horses and ownership opportunities leading into 2026.
Words: Jeff Hanson
Image: Bradley Photos

Santolini storms home at Goulburn as Travers prepares for Wagga and Tumut

Michael Travers will have two chances taking on the Asahi Super Dry Benchmark 64 Handicap (1600m) for horses 5YO and older at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
Representing the Wagga stable will be recent Hair Of The Dog Cup (1800m) winner Dynamic One (Tommy Berry, 57,5kg) and the red-hot Gold Tracker (Rebecca Bronett Prag, 53kg).
With Michael working out the secret to Gold Tracker, the 6YO Xtravagant gelding is racing in career-best form, landing back-to-back wins at Albury.
Owned and raced by Michael&rsquo;s wife, Jodie Travers, Gold Tracker had Bronett Prag in the saddle when scoring his fifth career win in the Benchmark 58 Handicap (1600) on November 24.
Pierre Boudvillain then jumped aboard Gold Tracker as he went back-to-back, again triumphing in a Benchmark 58 Handicap (1600m) on December 6.
It&rsquo;s a significant rise in class at Warwick Farm, but the six-time winner is racing well, feeling great, and while a $19 outsider and drawn awkwardly with gate nine, Gold Tracker deserves his chance in town.
Stablemate Dynamic One is on the fifth line of betting at $8, and there will be plenty of interest in the Wagga galloper, with Tommy Berry aboard.
The 5YO Super One gelding is a five-time winner, and plenty of people close to the MTR camp have a big opinion of the enigmatic galloper.
Two starts back, he lived up to the hype, racing strongly to win the Hair Of The Dog Cup (1800m) on the second day of the Snake Gully Cup carnival on November 15.
Last time out, Dynamic One ran a game fourth in the Queanbeyan Cup (1600m) on November 28, and rock-hard fit and racing well, he has drawn kindly in gate five at Warwick Farm.
MTR will travel to Sydney on Wednesday morning, before being back on the road again on Friday, with popular galloper Santolini nominated to race in the Country Boosted Benchmark 58 Handicap (1100m) at Goulburn.
A busy week or so follows, with meetings in Wagga on December 24, in Tumut on December 26, and in Gundagai on January 2. Words: Jeff Hanson Image: Trackpix Photography

MTR duo set for city assignment

Michael Travers has found the secret to his 50-start veteran Gold Tracker, who is racing in career-best form following back-to-back wins at Albury.
The 6YO Xtravagant gelding, known fondly as Eddie and owned by his wife, Jodie Travers, was &lsquo;retired more times than anyone can count&rsquo;.
Still, persistence is key, and with the assistance of Victorian trainer and chiropractor Peter Smith, Gold Tracker has discovered a new lease on life.
Racing at Albury on November 24, Gold Tracker won for Rebecca Bronett Prag in the 1600m Benchmark 58 Handicap.
Going back-to-back, Pierre Boudvillain was in the saddle on Saturday, with the Wagga galloper getting home in the nick of time to win the 1600m Benchmark 58 Handicap.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s been retired no less than five times by me, and it was so frustrating that I could not get him right,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;It felt like he wasn&rsquo;t 100%, and I brought him in and popped him out so many times that I threw my hands in the air, and then I made phone calls to give him away as a riding horse.
&ldquo;Then, Peter ran his hands over him and fixed him, and we&rsquo;ve been going forward ever since.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a different horse, and now there doesn&rsquo;t feel like there is anything holding him back.&rdquo; While racing in great form, the six-time winner doesn&rsquo;t always make things easy on himself in races, and at Albury on Saturday, Gold Tracker looked gone for all money before a strong ride by Boudvillain got him firing in the final furlong before getting home to win by the barest of margins.
&ldquo;If you backed him at Albury, you would have ripped your ticket up at the 600m,&rdquo; Travers laughed.
&ldquo;To the credit of Rebecca and Pierre, they worked and worked for it, and without their work, he drops out the back and doesn&rsquo;t win his past two starts.&rdquo;
Travers may look at a trip to town for Gold Tracker next week, with the 1600m Benchmark 64 Handicap for horses 5YO and over at Warwick Farm arriving at the right time on the racing calendar.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll just try and find the right race,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;There is a low-grade race at Warwick Farm next Wednesday, but if that doesn&rsquo;t work out, we&rsquo;ll more than likely start him in a (Benchmark) 58 or a low-class (Benchmark) 66 between a mile and 1800m.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s been a good season for Travers, who has trained 18 winners at 10.8% in 2025/26, and he&rsquo;s hoping that success continues at Wagga on Tuesday.
Travers will start Demi God (Josh Richards, 57.5kg) in the 1600m Class 1/Maiden Plate, Teresprit (Rebecca Bronett Prag, 58kg) in the 1400m Benchmark 58 Handicap, and possibly Santolini (56kg) in the 1200m Class Two Handicap. Story: Jeff Hanson Image: Trackpix Photography

Travers striking gold with in-form Gold Tracker

Michael Travers will set last-start winners Mathrin and Dynamic One for Friday&rsquo;s $65,000 Queanbeyan Cup (1600m).
The pair have been racing well, with 2025 Cowra Cup (1700m) and Corowa Cup (1600m) winner, Mathrin, adding the Sky Racing Sky Caller&rsquo;s Cup (1600m) to her resume when winning as a 35/1 outsider at Canberra on Sunday.
Having started 85 times for nine wins, while earning just shy of $300,000 in prizemoney, Mathrin will have every chance at Queanbeyan.
&ldquo;She is always thereabouts,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;Her previous two runs were outstanding, and she was unlucky not to knock off a race at Canberra, and then got knocked down in the straight at Wagga, and she should have finished closer.&rdquo;
The 8YO Deep Field mare, drawn suitably with gate eight, has leading hoop Jean Van Overmeire (JVO) in the saddle, and she gets in nicely with 56.5kg.
&ldquo;She is obviously at the top of her game at the moment, and we have JVO on top, and he has a terrific record on her.&rdquo;
Stablemate Dynamic One is coming off arguably his best-ever effort, winning the Hair Of The Dog Cup (1800m) at Gundagai on November 15.
A terrific mid-race move by Brittany Button saw the 5YO Super One gelding power to an impressive win, taking his record to 29 starts for five wins and $133,000 in prize money.
Travers has an opinion of Dynamic One and admitted it was nice to see the gelding showcase his true ability at Gundagai.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got great ability, and everyone that gets on him comes back and tells me that he feels like a proper racehorse,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;One day we might see the best of him, and at the moment, he&rsquo;s progressing well enough, and I think he gets in nicely at Queanbeyan.&rdquo;
Rebecca Bronett-Prag takes the ride, and with only 55kg on his back, the Wagga galloper also gets in kindly with gate six.
Travers was pleased to be taking two in-form horses to Queanbeyan as his stable looks to win yet another Country Cup in 2025.
&ldquo;I think both Mathrin and Dynamic One are in good form, and it&rsquo;s always nice to have that going into any race,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;They are both rock-hard fit, and battle tough and won't be beaten on fitness, but we&rsquo;ll see how we stack up ability-wise against some good horses.&rdquo;
While Friday&rsquo;s focus is on Queanbeyan, the stable has a potentially hectic day on Saturday, with runners at Rosehill Gardens and Wagga Wagga.
Santolini (gate 22) has drawn wide in the Class 2 Highway Handicap (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens, while up to five runners will race on their home track.
Travers has enjoyed a breakout season after preparing a career-best 26 winners (8.3%) in 2024/25.
Less than four months into the 2025/26 season, the Wagga stable has scored 16 wins (10.3%) and earned connections $440,000 in prizemoney.
&ldquo;We are exceeding expectations so far, but it is a long season to go and hopefully we keep it going,&rdquo; Travers said.
&ldquo;Still, we are really happy with how things are going.&rdquo;
&nbsp;
Words: Jeff Hanson
Image: Bradley Photos

Last start cup winners tackle Queanbeyan Cup

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

News

Kahawaty out to go one better in Tumut Cup

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