“It was fantastic to be our home cup,” Rudd said of the win.
Balancing his dual roles made the achievement even more rewarding, with Rudd intimately involved all day before seeing his horse perform on the track.
“I’m secretary-manager at Cobram, so I had a lot to do that day,” Rudd said of the busy day ahead.
“For him to come out and perform the way he did was very rewarding.”
Rudd is relatively new to training and has only been preparing horses for about a year, with the Cobram Cup victory marking the eighth victory of his career.
“I’m obviously a hobby trainer and I do it for fun. It’s taken a long time to get him right, but I’ve got him down quite well at the moment, which is great. He’s putting in the effort and trying, so I’m really happy with the horse.”
“I’ve only been training for just over 12 months, so yeah, that would be my best winner yet. Hopefully there’s more to come.”
Bennie And The Jets, piloted by Leigh Sutton, made full use of barrier one from the start of the stand, stepping up nicely before taking charge of the 2678 meter journey and finishing strongly to beat El Conqueror and Rapid Return.
“He has always shown a lot of ability. He just needs a bit of patience, but he is a happy horse at the moment and I am very happy with the way he performed last weekend,” praised Rudd.
“This whole preparation was very good.”
Plans for the gelding’s next assignment are already taking shape, with a step up in the offing.
“I think we’re going to the Bendigo Cup,” Rudd said of the trotting film on the first night of Victoria’s Summer Of Glory on Saturday, January 10.
“He’s a very good horse with a standing start and he stays. We should have a favorable draw there because we’re low rated, and we just hope to get a good run whether we’re in the lead or sitting. I don’t mind him because I think he’s as good a horse as any from the back.”
Rudd was also quick to acknowledge the support he is receiving at home.
“Linton Power helped with the horse and as I run my own business I couldn’t do this without his help.”
The Cobram Cup meeting also featured a dominant performance from Alex Ashwood’s Merrywood Paul, who led throughout to take a decisive 12.1m victory in the Jim Phillips Memorial Cobram Pacing Cup.
It was a standout day for Merrywood Paul owner Tayla French, who also ended the meeting by piloting eventual winner Lorimermajor in the Cobram Hotel Regional Pace Final for trainer Terry French.
Through Bronte Nieuwenburgfor Harness Racing Victoria
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