One of them, Graham Payne would have been relieved and thrilled when his most recent stable acquisition Balmain broke its maiden status in the middle distance 1750 metres event.

It was the 4-year-old grey geldings’ sixth start for Payne who took it over from Melbourne trainer Greg Eurell last June.

Balmain has been placed on three occasions since Payne took over and the gelding appreciated the step up in distance.

Balmain’s early racing career centred around the Victorian provincial tracks.

Jeremy Sylvester produced Azzalin for a surprise double figure odds win in the 1280 metres sprint with Robert Thompson doing the steering.

Azzalin had not saluted since April and was coming off a fourth in the recent Bong Bong Cup.

It was the 6-year-old Aussie Rules gelding’s sixth win from 40 starts.

Thompson had tasted success at last Thursday’s Wyong meeting on the Rod Northam-trained After All That, a 4-year-old gelding having just its third start and second up from a fourth at Gosford.

Thompson put the seal on a good week with a tough win on Hu Hit Hu at the Newcastle Beaumont track on Saturday.

The winner, having just its second start, is trained by the father and son John Hawkes stable.