Webster chasing third Country Stampede trophy

By Glenn Davis

Toowoomba trainer Pat Webster will shoot for a third Country Stampede Final victory at Doomben next month after Coat Of Arms claimed a qualifier at Gayndah on Saturday.

Webster won the Country Stampede Final with his former stable star V J Day in 2021 and backed up the following year to win with Dynamic Verse.

V J Day later went on to finish second to the Olivia Cairns-trained Ammoudi Bay in the Battle Of The Bush Final in 2022.

Coat Of Arms notched up his eighth win for Webster on Saturday.

He took over training the gelding from Gold Coast trainer Toby Edmonds more than two years ago.

His win was the first leg of a winning treble for apprentice Chloe Lowe and it was a significant victory considering the weight disadvantage over runner-up Better Rush.

“It was a good win in the end as he sat off the speed and had to carry nine kilos more than the second horse,” Webster said.

“He’s fully qualified now as the Gayndah win was his fifth run in the country and I’ll give him one or two more runs before he has another crack at the Final.”

Coat Of Arms has already attempted to win a Country Stampede Final but had no luck when seventh in stablemate Dynamic Verse’s victory in 2022.

Webster was once based at St George in South West Queensland before moving to train at the Bahram training facility on Toowoomba’s outskirts.

Meanwhile, Rockhampton galloper Mocambo edged closer to the Country Cups Challenge Final with a commanding win in the qualifier at Emerald on Saturday.

Although Mocambo won the qualifier, the eight-year-old is still ineligible for the decider until he meets part of the strict criteria to compete in five non-TAB country meetings.

“That was only his second country run and he needs five, so there’s three more to go,” Mocambo's trainer Fred Smith said.

“His next races are likely to be at Gladstone, Yeppoon and Mackay.

“We’re racing against the clock to get him to the Final but he’s pretty tough.”

Mocambo’s win for jockey Emma Bell was his third straight win from only six starts since the gelding left the stables of Deagon trainer Michael Lakey in June.

“He was supposed to be ridden by Chris McIver but he had a tumble earlier in the day so we replaced him with Emma Bell,” Smith said.

“Emma rode him well but we were a bit surprised when she led on him.

"It was a good ride."

In the Country Cups Challenge Qualifier at Cloncurry, the Bevan Johnson-trained Scorched Land was successful when he downed John Manzelmann’s Sir Rocket by three lengths.

Manzelmann had better luck in the Country Stampede qualifier winning with former country star Ruby July.