Work started on the big Spring clean program on September 13, the day after the last meeting with a massive job ahead for racecourse supervisor Scott Olson and his team.

The racecourse coped really well with the extra meetings due to some being transferred while Port Macquarie’s track underwent a $3.7 million reconstruction in the past season.

Newcastle trainer Paul Perry’s son, Shannon, has continually praised the track for racing but it was the comments of first-time visitor, apprentice jockey Matthew McGillivray, who rode his first winner at Taree on Perry’s The Garret, which summed up what other trainers have been saying: “The track is beautiful.”

But it doesn’t stop the proposed $30,000 upgrade, it being necessary according to club chairman Greg Coleman, to make sure the standard is maintained and improved.

“There will be major renovations to the course proper, including the chutes, and the B grass.

“It will be shaved, dethatched, drained and top dressed to encourage plenty of Spring growth.

“We expect everything will be ready for the Krambach Cup TAB meeting (a $30,000 race over 1600m) on October 21,” he said.

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New Taree trainer John McLachlan had his first win in the Mid North Coast Racing Association when heavily-backed five-year-old mare Going Grey scored at Tuncurry Forster Jockey Club’s TAB meeting on September 10.

The mare was formerly trained by Ben Davies for three placings but McLachlan has taken over the galloper and stables on the stud farm of Steve Fell at Oxley Island.

Going Grey is only lightly raced in having 11 starts and the win took her prize money to $16,260 with the promise of more to come.

McLachlan also started another five-year-old mare, Balmain Lass, the winner of two races and prize money of near $37,000 at the same meeting and she was fifth to local galloper Desert Land, having its second win in 19 starts for trainer Terry Evans.

McLachlan is no stranger to the training ranks, having dabbled for more than a decade, and has had wins mainly at Grafton, Glen Innes and Inverell.

“I have had a lot of problem horses to iron out their manners in my stable,” said McLachlan.

He will have about 10 horses to train, mostly from out west,and was delighted to see Going Grey “fight on well” to score after a good fifth at Taree during the Cup carnival.

He has had about 40 winners overall and at one meeting at Inverell he won three of the five races on the card.

Going Grey will probably have her next start at Port Macquarie.

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Some trainers have a soft spot for certain gallopers due to their nature and one such racehorse is now nine-year-old gelding Loading, trained at Newcastle by 80-year-old Charlie Porter, the gelding notching its 8th win at its 108th start at Tuncurry.

“This horse has never had an injury and has never worn bandages in its life…he is such a gem,” he said.

Porter said he could do anything with Loading,which he termed a true gentleman, it being by Bite The Bullet, having now won nearly $150,000, a great effort for “only a pensioner”.

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Wauchope five-year-old gelding Prince Mayted, a last start winner at Moree, its first since scoring in Queensland in November, is likely to have its next race in a Highway race in Sydney before taking on the sprinters at Port during the $100,000 Port Macquarie Cup Carnival next month.

The gelding has had 30 starts for six wins and 12 placings for prize money heading towards $160,000 for trainer Colt Prosser.

A $60,000 Highway race looks appealing before the $50,000 Port Macquarie Sprint over 1200m on October 7, the gelding having won at the old track.