For the third time in four years, Craig Weeding has triumphantly lifted the Bendigo Community Bank Narrandera Cup following Yam’s convincing victory in Sunday’s $70,000 event.

Weeding watched on as Prince Of Helena won the race back-to-back in 2023 and 2024 before the now-retired gelding finished second to Hot Bandit in 2025.

On Sunday, the Wangaratta trainer prepared a three-pronged attack, and it was Yam (Cassidy Hill, $4) that powered to a 1.78-length victory from the Keith Dryden and Libby Snowden-trained Acheson (Jess Brookes, $23), with the Rhys Achard-trained Boltsaver (Brodie Loy, $3.40) in third.
Stablemates Make It Sweet (Jake Duffy, $5) and Indispensable (Shaun Guymer, $9) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

The result means Yam, largely owned by Weeding, is now off to the $3 million Big Dance at Royal Randwick on the first Tuesday in November.

“We’re absolutely thrilled; it was a good ride by Cassidy, and we’re now off to the Big Dance,” Weeding said.
“We always target Narrandera because I think it is a good pathway to the Big Dance, and Narrandera is a little bit out of the way for the metro stables, so it gives us country guys an opportunity to get into the race.
"Plus, it is local, being only 2.5 hours from Wangaratta, and the club put on a really good day.”

It was the biggest win of Hill’s career, and Weeding hopes it is a watershed moment.
“She is coming along in leaps and bounds. She has only been riding for about 12 months, and she has improved out of sight in that period,” Weeding said.
“I think she is really starting to get some race smarts about her and hopefully wins like this will build her confidence and get her more opportunities.”

On a huge day for the stable, Weeding and Hill also won the Eurell’s Narrandera and Yamaha Golf Cars Narrungdera Yarraman Sprint (1000m), with eight-year-old veteran Big Day Out cruising to a 1.41-length victory. 

Well backed from $7.50 into $3.50 favourite, Big Day Out never looked like losing, and the effort was all the more impressive, considering he was on the backup after winning the 1000m Benchmark 82 Handicap at Wagga the Monday prior.

It was the Wangaratta galloper’s 92nd start and 13th career win, with his earnings now surpassing $370,000. 

“He’s got a new lease on life it seems,” Weeding said. “We had no intention of running him today after he won on Monday, but the way he was behaving at the stables, and his demeanour, there was no reason not to run him. He drew a nice gate, and these days he is very motivated, holds a spot and kicks off the corner; he is racing really tough at the moment.”

Weeding and his big team are gearing up for a huge 2026/27 season, with plenty of new stars set to strut their stuff.

Craig Weeding has made the Narrandera Cup his own in recent years.

Now-retired stable champion Prince of Helena won the race in 2023 and 2024 and just fell short of a historic three-peat in 2025, finishing second to the Luke Pepper-trained Hot Bandit.

Prince of Helena was subsequently tested in multiple $3 million Big Dances, and on Sunday, Weeding will be hoping to qualify one of his new stable stars for the rich country cup final, which will be run and won at Royal Randwick on the first Tuesday in November.

Representing the Wangaratta stable will be Indispensable, Yam and Make It Sweet in the $70,000 Bendigo Community Bank Narrandera Cup.

Indispensable, also entered at Caulfield on Saturday, is coming off a promising fourth in the 1700m Benchmark 78 Handicap at Caulfield late last month.

Shaun Guymer has been locked in for the ride, but the nine-year-old Akeed Mofeed gelding is awkwardly drawn in gate 13.

A multiple Listed winner, Indispensable is arguably the best horse in the race on his day and has been knocking on the door of a feature race win for Weeding and connections.

Stable apprentice Cassidy Hill will ride recent Caulfield winner Yam, who will be one of the market favourites.

An eight-time winner that relishes soft and heavy ground, the five-year-old Pluck gelding will benefit from the rain forecast on Saturday, almost guaranteeing a soft surface on Sunday.

Suited to the distance and drawn well, Yam’s biggest challenger could be stablemate Make It Sweet.

Stable jockey Jake Duffy rides the five-year-old Fiorente mare, who has drawn perfectly in gate one.

Tractable and versatile, Make It Sweet profiles nicely third-up over 1600m and will likely start as race favourite — or very close to it — in what appears to be a competitive field.

A five-time winner, Make It Sweet has been set for this race and gets in nicely for an assault at this event and, potentially, the Big or Little Dance later in the year.

On what will be a busy day for the Weeding team, last-start Wagga winner Big Day Out (Cassidy Hill) has drawn gate two in the $40,000 Eurell’s Narrandera and Yamaha Golf Cars Narrungdera Yarraman Sprint (1000m), and Black Frost (Jake Duffy) steps up again in distance when taking on the $30,000 Dusty Hooves Media Stayers Cup (2100m).

Rounding out the stable’s day will be King De Lune (Cassidy Hill), which also drew well with gate two in the Elders Coleambally Benchmark 58 Handicap for the colts and geldings.

With five runners across the card, it shapes as one of Weeding’s biggest days at Narrandera — and if the rain arrives as forecast, connections will be dreaming of more than just one trip to Royal Randwick in November.

Words: Jeff Hanson
Image: Racing Photos

A shrewd $2,500 purchase, Big Day Out continues to win races for Craig Weeding and connections.

The eight-year-old Delago Deluxe gelding has now earned his owners $351,505 during a decorated 91-start career, scoring 12 wins and 29 minor placings along the way.

Big Day Out has been a winner at Flemington, along with picking up other feature races, including the Tumut Sprint in consecutive years (2023 and 2024), the Leeton Stan Axtill Memorial in consecutive years (2022 and 2023), the 2025 Wagga Winter Sprint, and the 2025 Balranald Spring Cup.

On Monday, Big Day Out started as one of the outsiders in the 1000m Benchmark 82 Handicap at Wagga’s Murrumbidgee Turf Club - the feature race on the program.

While he had never won first-up or on a heavy track, the Wangaratta galloper, who had stable apprentice Cassidy Hill in the saddle, defied those statistics to win by a neck from the odds-on favourite One Hard Lady ($1.45, Brodie Loy) from the Donna Scott yard.

It was a smart ride by Hill, who kept the favourite off the rails and held the inside before Big Day Out pulled clear for a popular victory.

Continuing a strong season for the yard, the result was the 23rd victory for the stable in 2025/26 as Weeding looks to finish the season on a high note.

The team’s immediate focus will be meetings at Donald and Caulfield on Saturday and Narrandera on Sunday.