NO NEED WHATSOEVER TO DUCK FOR COVER

ANTHONY Mountney wasn’t hiding from anything!

In the wake of the Kembla Grange trainer’s six-year-old gelding Duck For Cover’s breakthrough at his home track yesterday at only his second start, he hinted at a possible tilt at the Provincial-Midway Championships.

“It’s not a fait accompli, but it’s something we are keeping in mind,” Mountney said today.

“We might never get another chance to run in the series.

“Duck For Cover will be seven this time next year, and I feel these sprint distances won’t suit him then.

“I’m sure he will be a 2000m horse.

“If we do have a crack at the series, there’s the Kembla Grange Qualifier (1400m) on March 21 for provincial horses only.”

Remarkable as it is that the son of Group 1 winner The Mission (the 2017 Champagne Stakes, 1600m at Royal Randwick when trained by Newcastle’s Paul Perry) has only just begun his racing career when some others have been retired or not far off, Mountney stressed that the gelding’s belated entry into racing had nothing to do with any unsoundness issues.

“He is very sound,” he explained.

“Duck For Cover was bred by Trevor and Gillian Wells (parents of former jockey Peter), and they had him in a paddock and didn’t worry about trying him earlier on.

“I trained Duck For Cover’s dam, the Street Cry mare Twice Around (who was retired after finishing last at Canberra in a 1280m Maiden Handicap in 2010), and she was five at that time.

“The Wells also sent me Duck For Cover’s older half-sister Once Is Enough (by Love Conquers All), and Peter rode her in all three starts before being retired.

“Once Is Enough also was five when she started racing, so there’s nothing unusual about Duck For Cover starting his career at six.

“He actually came to me a couple of years ago, and I gave him two unplaced rials at Hawkesbury and Warwick Farm in April and June 2024.

‘But he was tied up in is action from being in a paddock for so long, so he went out again.

“Duck For Cover is a different horse this time. His two trials were excellent (a win at home on January 6 and second at Rosehill Gardens 23 days later).

“He was unlucky not to win his first start at Kembla Grange on February 7 when he finished a close fourth in a 1200m Super Maiden.

“Robyn Freeman rode him then and learnt from that as he is a big horse who likes to roll along.

“She did that on him yesterday, and he was good enough to win.”

A $12 chance, Duck For Cover had punters ducking for cover when he rolled $1.35 hotpot Buckeye in another Super Maiden Plate, this time over 1300m, after the pair had the race to themselves in the straight and fought out a tight finish.

. Meanwhile, fellow Kembla Grange trainers Rob and Luke Price took an important step at Rosehill today toward capturing their home track’s $250,000 Kembla Grange Classic (1600m) for three-year-old fillies on March 13.

Promising Shooting To Win filly Aisle Two (Adam Hyeronimus) at $10 followed up a recent excellent second at a Canterbury night meeting by overhauling $2.25 favorite Soverato in the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1500m) for three-year-old fillies.

Team Price is confident today’s race will have the lightly-raced Aisle Two at her top for the Classic, keen to go one better than stablemate Our Gold Hope’s second two years ago.

Wyong trainer Kristen Buchanan knew her “young” eight-year-old Stylebender was ready to back up and chase a second city win in a week when he nearly tipped her off at trackwork.

Additionally, Buchanan wanted to keep apprentice Mollie Fitzgerald on the gelding (she won a Benchmark 72 Handicap, 2140m at Warwick Farm last Wednesday on him) as she is about to start a suspension.

It all worked out well as a gallant Stylebender ($5) would not surrender in the straight in the Benchmark 78 Handicap (2400m) today, and held out $2.35 favorite Centenario to post his eighth career success.

As with Duck For Cover and Buckeye yesterday, Stylebenderand Centenario also had the race to themselves, finishing more than five lengths ahead of third placegetter Subarctic ($14).

. Unbeaten Warwick Farm four-year-old Banjora is now outright favorite at $7 for the $1m Provincial-Midway Championships Final (1400m) at Randwick on April 11.

Banira (Zac Lloyd) make it three wins from as many starts when he graduated to town today and took the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1100m) in the style of a young horse going places.

Trainer Bryce Heys is looking at the 1200m Gosford Qualifier on March 14 as the likely race to strive to get Banjora into the Final.

STORY JOHN CURTIS, FEBRUARY 25, 2026 - PICS BRADLEY PHOTOS