Leading apprentice Racha Cuneen gained his first win over the sticks; Emily Farr rode her first New Zealand steeplechase winner; Toni Hawes geared up her first training winner and Nicci Brown won her first amateur race 20 years after her last professional win.
Morgan Bet's win was a genuine thrill for Hawes, who trains the gelding and his full sister from Phar Lap Raceway north of Timaru.
Hawes, who also works one day a week at the Temuka saleyards, has been involved with Morgan Bet from the time co-breeder Eddie Thompson asked Hawes if she wanted to breed the dam, Morgan Rose, to Saperavi.
''So we bred him and we've waited for a very long time, as you can see because of the size of him,'' she said.
Hawes broke in Morgan Bet as a 2yr-old but he was never going to be up and running early.
''I put him straight out for 18 months because he was too big,'' she said.
''He's slowly putting it together - he's still not 100% strong but he's getting better.''
Morgan Bet is only the third horse Hawes has trained in three seasons of training, and she won't forget yesterday in a hurry.
''It's awesome just knowing that I've waited such a long time.''
Brown was familiar with that winning feeling, but it had been a while between drinks - 20 years, in fact.
Brown adopted front-running tactics with Cairnsville in the Diana-Marie Strang Memorial amateur riders' race yesterday, and the bold approach - which she suggested to trainer Kevin Cairns a few weeks ago - paid off.
Brown's last win came on Race Around at Wingatui on June 2, 1995 - her 18th win from 189 rides as an apprentice.
''I was pretty puffed halfway down and was ready to give up but thought I could win this.''
Brown is happy with an occasional appearance in amateur races these days, having served herapprenticeship, when she was Nicci McDougall, with Len Casey before moving on to John Phillips. She also spent a winter at Wingatui with Graeme Mee.
She then married and finished off her apprenticeship with Peter and Dawn Williams at Riccarton as Nicci Batt.
''I've got kids and it's pretty hard once you've got kids,'' she said.
''And I'm a bit fatter - you see how tight the gear was. I burst the zipper on my boots and I was a bit worried about the zipper on my pants!''
Brown is a freelance track work rider based at Ascot Park and is the main track rider for Sabin Kirkland. She also rides out for Tommy Beckett and Jo-Anne Dalton.
''And I pop on whenever Kevin Cairns comes to town,'' she said.
Cuneen has 53 flat wins to his name, but the apprentice jockey added a hurdle win to his record when he got the best out of Harry Hill in a restricted open hurdle yesterday.
Cuneen's 3kg claim came in handy for the Brian and Shane Anderton-trained 8yr-old by Danzighill, who is a possibility for the Sydenham Hurdle during Grand National week, part-owner and co-trainer Shane Anderton said.
