Cessnock reinsman Blake Hughes boosted his hopes of driving 100 winners for the season, as well as making a run at the Newcastle premiership, with a treble at the track.
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Hughes took the Bevan Pringle-trained Mustang Milly ($1.80 favourite) to a comfortable all-the-way win on Friday night in the Waratah Series heat, where she clocked a 1:53.6 mile.
He later drove Home And Dry to victory for boss Clayton Harmey and Nifty Studleigh to a win in the last for Louth Park trainer Darren Elder.
The success took him to 90 winners for the year at all tracks with seven weeks remaining.
The wins, and a close second on Harmey-trained Payton's Rock, also lifted him in the Newcastle drivers' premiership, which is decided on an 8-4-2 pointscore system from each race.
Second-placed Hughes racked up 28 points for the night, taking him to 682 and cutting into the lead of Robbie Morris (714). Morris had 14 points on Friday night from a win, a second and a third.
Young East Maitland trainer Lily Hosking provided another highlight on the night when she scored a quinella in the sixth with winner Captain Dorian and $101 chance Casual River.
On Saturday night at Menangle, Harmey-trained Saint Crusader was the best performed of the Hunter runners in the group 1 NSW Breeders Challenge Blue finals, finishing fifth in the 3YO colts and geldings race.
Craig Kerry
Craig Kerry is a sports reporter for the Newcastle Herald.
Craig Kerry is a sports reporter for the Newcastle Herald.
