Correct passage to Wodonga Cup

A calculated gamble by jockey Dean Holland paid a Cup winning divided at Wodonga on Friday, November 25.

Holland rode talented mare Night Passage for trainers Tony & Calvin McEvoy in the $100,000 bet365 Wodonga Cup (1590m).

Around the 600-metre mark, the jockey decided to stay in rather than come out and make his run for victory.

The decision put him in a pocket, but turning for home, a run presented, and Night Passage made her dash for for the Cup.

It took the length of the Wodonga straight, but Night Passage ($8) arrived to score a short head win from This Skilled Cat ($71) with Another One ($7.50), a short half head away third in a blanket finish.

The McEvoys have done a wonderful job with the six-year-old mare to keep her race fit as she had not raced for two months because of wet tracks.

Winning jockey Dean Holland admitted he had taken a gamble on Night Passage.

“I thought I gave her a really good ride early,” Holland said.

“I think the eventual second horse came around and put me in a pocket, and I probably missed the boat at that point, but I was very thankful I had the right horse.

“I made the decision to stay in, and it paid off in the end, but it nearly cost me as well.

“It was a race where I had to wait for one to go, and hope I was on the better horse, and I was.

“Congratulations to the team, they have had her in everywhere, I’m not sure how many times they have scratched her looking for a firm track.

“She was very well placed today.”

Tim Hanley, stable foreman for McEvoy Mitchell, confirmed Night Passage had a dislike for wet tracks.

“It definitely wasn’t a plan not to race for two months,” Hanley said.

“We’ve just been dodging the wet weather we have been having in Victoria.

“She has been scratched five times leading up to today, but we finally found a good track for her.

“The boys (Tony & Calvin) were a still a bit nervous yesterday when it was still a soft track, but I assured them it would be a good track today.

“Well done to the owners who have been very patient. It has been frustrating couple of months trying to get her to the races, and it was really deserving for the mare also, she is just a pleasure to have around the stable.”

Night Passage has built up a good record with seven wins and six placings from just 27 starts.