The four-year-old galloper made it two wins on end after it stormed to a half-head win over 1400m on Ramornie Handicap day on Wednesday.

“It was so surprising…it is fun when you win,” said Jan after she, her daughter, Jenny Gray, and granddaughter Maddi Beauchamp, celebrated the win trackside.

Glitra has won five of its past 10 starts, three since the syndicate bought the gelding for $18,000 from the stable of Kris Lees at Newcastle.

They and Port Macquarie trainer John Sprague have dreamed of having a country cups horse and it could be realised at the Taree Cup on August 20 or the Port Macquarie Cup in October.

“I rode Just Prince for Port trainer Glen Hodge to win the 1980 Taree Cup and I have always wondered what it would be like to win a home town cup as a trainer,” John said.

“I did train Space Image for a fourth in the Port Cup and I live in hope of finding a horse capable of winning.

“Glitra is big and strong and providing he can reach the 2000m of the cup, this could be my best chance so far.

“Firstly, he will try a bit further in the Sawtell Cup this Sunday ($25,000 race over 1500m at Coffs Harbour) to see how he goes.

“He has done everything right so far this preparation and is creeping up slowly in distance.”

Jan and her husband, Kelly, would dearly love to celebrate 67 years of marriage with a cup win after having mixed luck with about 40 horses to race.

One year they had 22 wins--“but we have had a lot of losses,” said Jan. Kelly was in the first gang to work on the Snowy Mountain River Scheme and Jan remembers their honeymoon well on the banks of the river as a 16-year-old bride.

They have owned businesses in the Camden Haven, lately the Sandbar Restaurant at North Haven, had three children, have seven grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.

Their best gallopers have been Fine Cheval, a winner at Doomben, At Sea and Bold Tristram but these days the “girl” family members fly the ownership flag with racehorses.

It is all part of enjoying a family social experience.

Jan said Glitra had “pulled up so good… he is tough, is relishing this campaign… and jockey Raymond Spokes has got the key to him.

“It is hard to win at a cup carnival and I know John’s ultimate aim is to have him try for the cups locally, either this year or later.”

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Another big syndicate revelled in some rich prizemoney when two-year-old gelding Victorem (paid $3.10 TAB) won for Port Macquarie trainer Jenny Graham on Grafton Cup day last Thursday.

The winner of a previous race at Kempsey came from the outside barrier for jockey Ben Looker to score convincingly by a half length in the $45,000 NBN Springboard To Fame for 2YO’s over 1200m, the win giving owners $25,200 prizemoney and up to $18,000 in a BOBS Bonus.

Graham’s partner, Shane Conroy, her mother Janice Avery, Kempsey’s Rhonda and Peter Bannon, along with breeder Mark Owens, his wife Lee, and Phil Pye, Sandra Cain, Peter Thompson, Kevin Owens, Jerome Carey, Justin Lanyon, Matt Shipway, Michael Bright and Barry Pepper from Coffs Harbour and Brisbane, all have a share and are lucky to have so.

The I Am Invincible gelding from four-times winner Playful Miss could have been headed for Hong Kong but for a stroke of luck at the “ready to run” sale.

Bidding reached $70,000 for Hong Kong interests but the breeder didn’t want it to go overseas and the offer was rejected.

Graham was sitting with the breeder and she was offered the gelding, finally securing it for $60,000 after 10-minutes on the phone to contacts to take ownership shares.

“He was by a good sire and out of a good mare whose racing was finished through injury,” she said.

“He had a niggly injury but had been broken in and it was just a matter of time and patience before racing him.”

Victorem licked the bin clean after racing and Graham is taking her time to map out its future, either to race on or have a spell for bigger three-year-old races next season starting August 1.