The national jockeys' premiership race heated up under the coolest of conditions at Wingatui yesterday when Chris Johnson won two races to go past Danielle Johnson.
The South Island Johnson squared the ledger with the northern Johnson with a front-running ride on classy southern Sprinter Irish Excuse in race 4.
He then went past her by winning the meeting's last race aboard the Michael and Matthew Pitman-trained Queen Serene.
While the contest got plenty of people on course talking, in typically understated Chris Johnson style, he was not getting ahead of himself.
``We have still got a while to go yet. We will keep pushing and see what happens; that's all you can do.''
Irish Excuse was the only horse his trainer, Ellis Winsloe, trekked to Wingatui and the 6yr-old gelding made it worth his while by winning his 10th race at start 46.
Back-to-back victories by two Wingatui-trained horses with big contingents of local owners provided popular wins on their home track, yesterday.
The Barbara Verlindi-trained Shantav scored a nose victory over Darci Inn in the most exciting of finishes to race 6.
The horse was unsuited in three previous runs on heavy footing but turned that around with a determined win on yesterday's loose Wingatui track.
The locals scored again when the Noel Graham-trained Squizzy scored an impressive last-to-first win in race 7.
The 3yr-old ran an improvers race for fifth fresh up at Wingatui and revelled in the heavy 11 conditions he faced yesterday.
