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It has been a “great week” for Hawkesbury’s husband and wife training triumvirate!
Following on from Jason Attard and Lucy Keegan-Attard's home track double last Tuesday and Mitch and Desiree Kearney's Quirindi success the same day, Phil and Tara Vigouroux also joined the winning list at Moruya yesterday.
And on this occasion with homebred At Midnight and coincidentally, seven years since her dam At Twilight won the Narromine Cup (which had to be transferred to Cowra for yesterday's renewal).
Cleverly ridden by Jean Van Overmeire, At Midnight ($3.10 favorite) finally broke through in the Maiden Plate (1650m), at her 20th start.
Van Overmeire settled the mare midfield, and quickly got away from the inside rail on straightening to find better ground wider on the track.
It proved a winning move as At Midnight sustained a determined burst to overhaul Witness To Love ($5.50) in the closing stages, with Great Week ($13) third.
Former Hawkesbury Race Club chairman Ken Quigley, who is one of At Midnight's owners along with his daughter Tara and son-in-law Phil, said it was especially pleasing to see the mare clinch her first victory.
"She had run six seconds, and a couple of those defeats were narrow margins," Quigley said this morning.
One of those frustrating second placings was at her previous start – also at Moruya in a 1450m Maiden on August 2 – when nabbed on the post by Belleistic Kids.
Team Vigouroux introduced blinkers to At Midnight earlier this year, and her dam also raced in the shades toward the end of her career.
At Midnight is the first foal of her dam At Twilight, who retired as the winner of six races, including the 2014 Cowra Cup (1700m) with Greg Ryan aboard, and 2015 Narromine Cup (1600m) when partnered by now Hawkesbury trainer Claire Lever.
A daughter of Zariz, she is the first foal of At Twilight, who is now in foal to the 2018 Group 2 Todman Stakes winner Aylmerton.
. Team Vigouroux had hoped to secure a Moruya double yesterday, but stablemate Zouologist ($8) didn't relish the heavy track and dropped out to finish last in the South Coast Clubs Cup (1415m).
