Walkaway Cup review: Tash Faithfull stars with treble at Geraldton, while Hard Questions claims main race

Jockey Tash Faithfull galloped away from the Walkaway Cup with a treble in an outstanding show at the Geraldton Turf Club to close out the 2024 portion of the racing calendar. The star hoop got proceedings under way right off the bat in race one with an impressive maiden win on Ashley Maley’s Royale Muck Up. Faithful brought the four-year-old gelding home by three lengths. Faithfull returned in race two, picking up where she left off. Maley and Faithfull teamed up again, with the jockey delivering another maiden win for Pat’s Last Bang by three quarters of a length to Malcolm Mackenzie’s Summer Mood. Barry Newnham’s On The Mark took out race three with Peta Edwards on board. The four-year-old gelding pipped Gordon Spowart’s Live Lucky at the line. Spowart bounced back in race four winning with Juruena Gold. Jockey Madi Derrick gave the gelding the green light to go, storming home to win by three lengths. Race five, the Walkaway Cup, was claimed by Tony Scally and his six-year-old gelding Hard Questions. Jockey Chris Nicoll gave the gelding a 10-out-of-10 ride, winning by three quarters of a length. Ron Cowl took out first and second in race six, winning with Sparkle Corner. Jockey Laqdar Ramoly guided the gelding home ahead of stablemate, I’m On. Faithfull claimed her treble on the back of the Pearce Brothers’ Starring Night in final race of the day, race seven. Faithfull secured her second treble in a row at Geraldton, stamping her authority on the field again. WINNERS LIST R1: ROYALE MUCK UP (T: A Maley, J: N Faithfull) R2: PAT’S LAST BANG (T: A Maley, J: N Faithfull) R3: ON THE MARK (T: B Newnham, J: P Edwards) R4: JURUENA GOLD (T: G Spowart, J: M Derrick) R5: HARD QUESTIONS (T: T Scally, J: C Nicoll) R6: SPARKLE CORNER (T: R Cowl, J: L Ramoly) R7: STARRING NIGHT (T: D & B Pearce, J: N Faithfull)