This included the feature event, the Northparkes Mines Coradgery Cup (1400m).

Prominent Canberra trainer Rado Boljun, along with favourite backers, was more than happy when Strike Me Happy gained the verdict by a head from Steve Beattie, Condoblin trained Stable Talk.

On My Honour from the John East stable at Orange and ridden by Parkes apprentice Tiffany Jeffries took the lead from Grimm entering the straight and for several hundred metres gamely defied the opposition.

Strike Me Happy (Greg Ryan, 3.00, 2.30 fav) and Stable Talk (Kody Nestor, 4.00) eventually gained the upper hand and fought out a thrilling finish.

Third placed On My Honour (2.80) was a shade over one length behind the first two in a typically honest performance.

Condobolin trainer Graham Scott won the 2008 Parkes Coradgery Cup with Frenchmans Cap and although he didn’t have a runner in the feature event this year, he was still able to win the Cambridge Hotel Maiden Handicap (1200m) with Youkay Teevee.

From a wide barrier (14) Youkay Teevee (Jeff Kehoe, 8.00) moved up three wide approaching the hometurn and in a game effort won by a sort head from Brilliant Plan (Nathan Cumberland, 15.00) with Odd Quad (Kacie Charter, 17.00) a close third.

Youkay Teevee was bred by John and Pat Chapple from Greenthorpe and was eventually sold to Graham and Jan Scott.

Graham Scott is the editor of the historic “Lachlander” newspaper at Condobolin.

Vastly experienced Forbes trainer Barry Molloy admitted he had tried a few different things with Zelta Glo prior to the Parkes meeting.

“Zelta Glo has the ability but recent runs had been very ordinary so I varied things like how she was shod and changed her feed,” the respected trainer revealed.

Zelta Glo (Daniel Edmonds, 10.00) won by a nose in the McDonalds Rating 62 (1000m).