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Hawkesbury trainer Garry White reckons anything that could go wrong just about has this season. And he thought his bad luck was going to continue at Bathurst on Monday when he got a phone call from stewards alerting him to the fact that he needed to find a replacement rider for Also Cool in the Class 1/Maiden Plate (1808m).

Christian Reith had been booked for the mare, but couldn’t make her 54.5kg. Fortunately, White was able to secure Mathew Cahill, one of country racing’s top jockeys with whom he has enjoyed a lengthy and successful association – and it all worked out well.

Cahill took Also Cool ($3) to the front approaching the home turn, and she outstayed $2.30 favourite Eye Will over the closing stages to break through for her first win at her sixth start.

Also Cool (the last foal of the Zabeel mare Zeltrice) was only White’s second winner this season; his first being Paris In May (also partnered by Cahill) at Dubbo on October 4 last year. Quite a contrast to the previous couple of seasons when he prepared a total of 31 winners.

“We sold about 15 horses who were no longer suited to us, and had two separate viruses go through our stables,” White explained. “And only last week, my major owner Grahame Mapp lost his good mare November Flight, who died at stud.

“She was the dam of Pierata, and also had a sister to that horse at foot which was foaled only a few months ago and had been served again by Pierro late last year. But there’s always hope. I’ve got a nice bunch of young horses, and hopefully Also Cool’s win today is the start of better things to come.”

Coincidentally, it was third time lucky for Cahill on Also Cool. He was to have ridden her twice previously at Hawkesbury and Orange, but she dislodged him before the start and was a late scratching on both occasions.

White’s success with Also Cool was one of three winners for Hawkesbury trainers at Bathurst – and two of them arose from late riding engagements. Jacqueline Greentree clinched her third win of the season when Canberra jockey Kayla Nisbet (who replaced Mitchell Bell) scored on Cosmic Deluxe ($6.50) in the Class 1 Handicap (1108m).

Whilst fellow Hawkesbury trainer Terry Croft carried most punters’ hopes with recent Port Macquarie winner Just A Horse, who started $2.30 favourite and weakened to finish seventh, Nisbet drove Cosmic Deluxe through near the inside to defeat Chevron Prince ($10) and Just Jessie ($3).

Greentree, who also rides work for leading trainer Brad Widdup as well as training a couple of horses, opted to put blinkers on four-year-old Delago Deluxe mare Cosmic Deluxe, an $18,000 purchase at the 2017 Scone yearling sale.

Mitch Newman made it four wins for the season when recent acquisition Make An Offer ($7) landed the Maiden Plate (1408m). Newman took blinkers off the Encosta De Lago five-year-old, and gave Sky Racing viewers a confident tip beforehand for the gelding.

“If he runs up to his work, they won’t get anywhere near him,” Newman said. With Chad Lever aboard, the lightly-raced Make An Offer sat right on the speed and was too good for Bizou ($15) and fast-finishing Unloch The Rock ($4).

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Hawkesbury's leading trainer Brad Widdup missed seeing his $31 roughie Lady Tavista break through at Newcastle on Saturday, but took great pleasure from the result nonetheless.

The lightly-raced Tavistock filly, a $150,000 purchase at the 2018 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, came from last to overpower her rivals in the Maiden Handicap (1200m). Having only her third start, and first from a spell, Lady Tavista’s surging finish indicated there may be better things to come.

Widdup, who clinched his 20^th victory of the season, was inspecting yearlings at Inglis’ Riverside complex on the eve of the Classic Yearling Sale, and didn’t get a chance to watch the race on television. He later got a glowing report from successful rider Travis Wolfgram about the three-year-old’s performance.

“Travis said Lady Tavista settled well and was strong through the line,” Widdup said. “I was especially pleased to get a break through win with the filly for Reggie and Beau Blundell and fellow owners.

“They are great supporters of the stable, and have been very patient with her. Lady Tavista hasn’t been the easiest horse to train as she was doing a few things wrong.

“She ran a nice at her first start when placed at Hawkesbury last September, but then over-raced at her next start at Kembla Grange. We gave her a break, and she is a more tractable filly this time in work.

“The sting out of the ground at Newcastle probably helped her, but it was an encouraging performance all the same and hopefully she can go on with it now as her distances increase.”

Heavily-backed second favorite Pioneer was a late scratching at the barrier, but may have been hard-pressed to beat the Hawkesbury filly, such was her dominance over the closing stages.

Lady Tavista, a clear last on the home turn, drew clear to beat Kibibi ($16) and Caudan ($13). Her dam, the Fastnet Rock mare Rockadubai, raced only once, finishing third in a Listed 1100m race at Pukekohe in 2008.

HOOFNOTE: Reggie and Beau Blundell run Paringa Stud at Gresford, where the former top sprinter Terravista resides in retirement.

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It could hardly have been a better weekend for Hawkesbury co-trainers Jason Attard and Lucy Keegan-Attard. A first-up victory at Newcastle on Saturday with recent acquisition Red Notice and around 200mm of rain at their Grose Vale farm put broad smiles on their faces.

“To win first-up with Red Notice after getting him only five or six weeks ago and then to receive such good rain was fantastic,” Jason Attard said. “The dams on the farm are full, so it’s all good news.”

Red Notice ($11), partnered by apprentice Tom Sherry, enjoyed a nice run in transit in the Benchmark 64 Handicap (900m) and overhauled $2.70 favourite Vivaro in the closing stages. Attard initially intended to resume Red Notice at Kembla Grange but the meeting was transferred to Newcastle – and the couple was delighted.

“The Kembla race was 1000m, and came back to 900m when the meeting was transferred,” Attard said. “It was only 100m, but it suited us as Red Notice was fresh and we knew they would run along.

“We didn’t want him to be dug up and over-race. Everything worked out really well.”

Team Attard, who took out a joint licence at the beginning of the season, has now won three races, including a city breakthrough with Cinderconi at Warwick Farm last month. The mare was also their first winner, in the Robert Thompson Cup at Newcastle on December 1.

Red Notice, a lightly-raced six-year-old by Duporth, has now won six of his 19 starts (the first five for his previous trainer Jamie Thomsen, including three in a row at his previous preparation).

The gelding is lucky to be racing at all, having cheated death earlier in his career. He was a sick horse and was close to being put down. Vets found an abscess in his spleen when they operated before deciding to abort the operation and treat him with antibiotics.

Red Notice gradually recovered and made a winning return at Nowra in December, 2018 after being off the scene for nearly a year.

HOOFNOTE: Red Notice is raced by a syndicate headed by former outstanding trainer Bob Thomsen, who won 25 Group 1s from his Randwick base, and was on course yesterday to see his gelding score.

Red Notice races in the same colours as Grey Receiver, with whom Thomsen won the 1982 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm and 1981 and 82 The Galaxy at Randwick.