Santa was kind to Weeding Racing over the 2024/25 holiday period.

Landing five winners in ten days, Craig and the team scored victories at Wangaratta (23/12), Wagga (24/12) and Kerang (28/12) before a New Year’s Day double at Gundagai.

At Wangaratta, Made in Dubai ($3.40) won by a half-length for in-form stable jockey Jake Duffy in the 1400m Benchmark 58 Handicap.

Travelling to Wagga Wagga on Christmas Eve, Smart Poppy ($10) was impressive when powering to a half-length win for Jake Duffy in the 1200m Benchmark 82 Crichton Cup, beating some handy sprinters in the process.

In another good story for the stable, the recent $1000 purchase, Heavenly Prophet ($3.30), had soon paid her way and more with a decisive win in the 1100m Benchmark 52 Handicap at Kerang, again for Jake Duffy.

Heavenly Prophet ($3.20) took her earnings for the stable to over $22,000 when backing up at Gundagai on New Year’s Day and winning the 1000m Benchmark 50 Handicap.

This time, Justin Stanley was in the saddle, and it was a nice ride as the six-year-old found the front and held on gamely.

Making it a Gundagai double for the stable was Gray’s Reward ($2.50) in the 1180m Class 1 Handicap.

Sarah McDonough demonstrated no fear when sticking to the rails and powering to an impressive win for connections.

It’s been a terrific period for the stable, with Weeding Racing bringing up nine wins from 43 starters.

In season 2024/25, Craig has reached 25 wins at a career-best strike rate of 14.1%, meaning it has never been a better time to be racing with the Wangaratta-based stable.

Craig and the Weeding Racing team continue a busy period at Wagga on Friday, January 3 and Wodonga on Sunday, February 5.

Words/Image: Jeff Hanson