By Graeme White
A few days ago, a passion for training racehorses reached its peak for Scott Jamieson with his first winner and he is hopeful Chipstar can provide him with another at Wagga on Monday.
Veteran galloper Wonder Brahama provided that memorable moment for Jamieson at Queanbeyan last Friday and he will again combine with jockey Damon Budler with Chipstar ($5.50 NSW TAB) at Wagga.
Chipstar has drawn barrier one for the Tooheys Battlers Cup Benchmark 50 (1300m) where Kerma Art at $4.80 is the early favourite.
The Wagga track is rated a heavy eight for the eight-race program with the rail out six metres from the 1400 metres to the winning post.
Jamieson feels Chipstar is ready to deliver with his main concern being the heavy track and where the best going will be.
“He has drawn the inside which is normally a good thing so we will have to see how the track plays in earlier races,” he said.
“The horse has matured a lot this campaign, but I won’t really know how he will go until he races on the heavy.
“He has won on the soft but is unplaced in four heavy tracks runs.”
Chipstar has won two races for Jamieson and his co-owners at the Harden Picnics and Queanbeyan when under the training of Rex Cole.
When Jamieson gained his own licence, Wonder Brahma and Chipstar became his first two horses to race and he has a couple of young ones ready to come through.
The 48-year-old works on a casual basis at Thoroughbred Park at Canberra and has spent time learning from the likes of the Joseph-Jones team, Nick Olive and Cole.
“I have been lucky to learn from some really good people who taught me a lot,” he said.
“My grandparents Rube and Connie Jamieson from Cootamundra had racehorses in stables at their backyard and that is where it started for me.
“It was about ten years ago I got the desire to do it myself and start learning more about training.
“It was a real pinch yourself moment when Wonder Brahma won because it proves to yourself that some of the things you have been doing have worked.
“He is a rising nine-year-old and I’m training him more like a 1600 metre plus horse and it worked at Queanbeyan.”
Jamieson has only had a handful of horses to start and he feels Chipstar is a realistic hope in a race restricted to lower graded horses.
The race is named after 1942 Wagga Cup winner Bragger who was trained by Tommy Smith.
Chipstar was beaten less than four lengths by Go Ellie Go and Magmetric last time out at Corowa and fac es a significant drop in grade.
“It’s just a nice race for him against horses of a similar standard,” he said.
Budler rode Wonder Brahma to perfection from the inside gate and he may be able to do the same with Chipstar from the same alley.
The feature race is the last of the program where there are multiple chances headed by Toretto, La Sante, Ready To Rumble, Trooper Knuckle, Loose Love and impressive last start winner What A Peach.
The latter was having her third start for Joseph-Jones when she sat wide and still won a Benchmark 66 with 58 kilograms.
Apprentice jockey Olivia Dalton rode What A Peach last start with senior jockey Quayde Krogh taking over. Dalton suffered a suspected dislocated elbow at Queanbeyan on Friday.