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By Colin Hodges

Hollywood script writers could not have bettered what transpired at Dubbo on Sunday when Gallant Star and Sneak Preview won the feature races.

David Ringland who owns Gallant Star in partnership with former Test cricketer Kerry O’Keefe has long been involved with Dubbo Turf Club and very much wanted to win the XXXX Vincent Gordon Flying Handicap, a memorial race for the former Manager of the Club, whom David greatly admired.

A prime candidate for the $2 million Kosciusko at Royal Randwick on October 19th, the Brett Robb, Dubbo-trained Gallant Star took on and defeated an outstanding field in the $75,000 feature sprint over 1100m.

Settled midfield by Tyler Schiller, Gallant Star ($3.20 favourite) when allowed more rein in the straight looked every bit a very classy galloper when winning by a length from the Cameron Crockett-trained Lonhro’s Queen (Ashley Morgan, $4.20) which ran on well to cut the speedy stablemate Custo (Jake Pracey-Holmes, $7) out of second place.

There were incredibly emotional scenes when jockey Kody Nestor [pictured left] returned to a wildly cheering crowd after 9yo gelding Sneak Preview won the $150,000 Dubbo City Toyota-Gilgandra Toyota Dubbo Gold Cup, not the reception normally expected for a $71 outsider in a feature race.

Only a fortnight before Dubbo, Kody Nestor after a lengthy time out of the saddle had made a comeback to ride a Maiden Handicap winner, The Answer Man at a non-TAB meeting at Collarenebri in the north west of the State.

To then produce such a brilliant ride in a 16-horse field against a top flight line-up of jockeys in a major country race was truly remarkable.

Positioned further back than midfield and saving ground near the inside, Sneak Preview gradually worked in to the race but was briefly blocked for a run in the straight.

Keeping his mount balanced, Nestor drove Sneak Preview through a narrow gap and the veteran galloper responded gamely to win by a neck from High Dandy (Alysha Collett, $9) with Hollywood Hero (Ashley Morgan, $5) a length away third.

For Kody Nestor, the wheel had gone full circle as he had ridden over 600 winners and then become a trainer at Dubbo, with Sneak Preview one of his best performers with several wins including the Western Racing Association Country Championship Qualifier at Coonamble in 2020.

The following year he stepped aside as a trainer and Sneak Preview was transferred to Queensland to become the winner of several races for trainer David Vandyke.

Recently, Sneak Preview came back to Dubbo to be trained by Peter Nestor, the uncle of Kody Nestor.

Widely regarded as a master trainer, Peter Nestor who has prepared a host of top gallopers has also recently made a comeback and the big group of owners including Mick Nestor the father of Kody and brother of Peter are thrilled to have their horse back home again.

High profile trainers and jockeys from the country and city were in big numbers at Dubbo, however, a local galloper Taormina Sailor won the opening event, the 1000m Stridyl/Australian Turf Club Foundation Country Boosted Showcase Maiden Plate.

Trained by Myron Cooper, owned by his wife Corrine Cooper and well ridden by their daughter Angela Cooper, Taormina Sailor against a 14-horse field started a $41 outsider despite some good runs during the initial campaign.

Racing in the leading three, Taormina Sailor broke clear in the straight and won by nearly a length from Now Voyager (Ashley Morgan, $5.50) and Trust A Kitty (Siena Grima, $31).

Racing is at Dubbo (TAB) on Friday, Mudgee on Saturday and Mungery Picnics on Sunday.

View the full results with race replays for Dubbo here