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By Greg Prichard

Trainer Wayne Wilkes said he would likely test Laizabout in provincial or city class after the two-year-old marked his career debut with a huge win at the Manning Valley Race Club meeting at Taree on Tuesday.

Laizabout raced greenly after sprinting clear at the top of the straight in the Taree Cup New Date 18 October 2 & 3YO Maiden Handicap over 1000m, repeatedly ducking in and out, but it made no difference to the result as he absolutely bolted in.

Ridden by Patrick Scorse, the gelding scored by a widening six-and-a-half lengths as the $1.85 favourite.

Taree-based trainer Wayne Wilkes. Image by Trackside Photography

Laizabout’s potential had been exposed when, again ridden by Scorse, he bolted in untouched to win a barrier trial over 1000m at Taree on July 13, so the short odds were to be expected.

Wilkes, who has enjoyed regular success at his home track of Taree in recent months, completed a winning double with Laizabout’s success in race three after producing Wandjad to win the opening race.

Wandjad, an $11 chance ridden by Andrew Gibbons, led into the straight but was seriously challenged by Kitsilano at the 200m mark in the Get Your Kosciuszko Tickets Country Boosted Maiden Plate over 1250m.

Gibbons used all of his experience though, switching the whip from his left hand to the right once Kitsilano got right alongside him and doing enough to coax that little bit extra out of his mount and win by a long neck.

Despite one of his winners being at double-figure odds compared to the other at odds-on, Wilkes said he had gone into the day convinced they were both winning chances.

It was an outstanding training performance by Wilkes to win with Wandjad, which was having his first start for the stable after previously being trained by Donna Scott at Albury and which hadn’t raced since November 6 last year.

“I rated Wandjad a good chance based on what he’d shown me in his work,” Wilkes said. “And the other fellow, Laizabout, I certainly thought he’d win.

“Wandjad is a tough horse. You have to be like that to be able to win first-up after a long spell and I think he’ll get out to 1600 metres. It’s probably taken him a bit of time to mature, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do in the future.

“Laizabout is still very green and raw, but he did a great job. Now we’ll sit back and make sure he’s OK after that run and then map out something for him.

“We’ll have a plan A, B and C depending on what’s available for him and as long as he pulls up OK, with no signs of soreness or anything, we’ll probably have a look at something provincial or maybe even Sydney somewhere.

“They’ll probably hit him with a few extra benchmark points, winning like that at his first start, so it’ll probably force our hand a little bit to go that way. But he obviously shows promise, so I’d be keen to find out how he’d handle a rise in class.”

Wilkes has trained winners at Taree meetings in March, April, May, June and July of this year.

View the full results with race replays for Taree here