- Gary Moore wins Black Opal Stakes with Takedown
- Matthew Dale wins three, including Canberra Guineas
- Sydney trainer Peter Snowden wins National Sprint
- Dale aims three runners for Country Championships
- Highlights from fashions on the field at Black Opal Stakes Day
Goulburn trainer Kurt Goldman enjoyed the biggest win of his young career, taking the knowledge instilled in him by the late Guy Walter to collect the $200,000 Canberra Cup (2000m).
Jockey Sam Clipperton timed his run aboard Faust ($22.70) to perfection to overhaul the Gai Waterhouse-trained Queenstown and hit the line in front of Burbero and World Wide at Thoroughbred Park on Sunday.
Jockey Sam Clipperton and trainer Kurt Goldman after winning the Canberra Cup on Black Opal Stakes day at Thoroughbred Park.Credit: Matt Bedford
Walter won last year's Cup with Jacquinot Bay before he tragically died suddenly of a heart attack in May.
Goldman moved to Goulburn from Kembla Grange about 12 months ago to replace Danny Williams as the trainer for former Wallaby Alan Cardy at his state-of-the-art facility.
It was there the 29-year-old got to know Walter, observing his habits and taking the experienced trainer's advice.
"The last month that Guy was still with us he was very influential because I had just moved to Goulburn, he helped me a lot," Goldman said.
"Quite often I would go and sit with him in the middle of the track in Goulburn watching his horses work and I'd be watching mine.
"I believe I train a little bit like Guy.
"Guy to me was a very patient trainer, you'd always see him thinking.
"His biggest piece of advice was to be patient with the horses and not expect things to happen straight away."
It was the second Canberra Cup win in the past three years for the ownership syndicate, who also had success with Court Connection trained by Williams in 2013.
Goldman started off on his own as an owner/trainer out of Kembla Grange five years ago, a second and a third on Magic Millions day on the Gold Coast helping him build his clientele.
"I wasn't interested in training for other people," Goldman said.
"I believed in myself and I wanted to prove to people what I could do without having owners a part of it.
"From where I was in my career, joining Alan Cardy was a chance to get some better-quality horses without finding the horses myself."
He may have found a beauty in Faust.
Despite concerns about a lack of preparation ahead of the Canberra Cup, the five-year-old showed a clean pair of heels in the back straight to record its sixth win from 26 starts.
"At this stage the horse will probably go to the Albury Cup in a few weeks' time," Goldman said.
"This horse loves the wet and I've strongly advised the owners that we should set this horse on a campaign to Queensland in the winter carnival.
"That's still in the back of my mind.
"I haven't got time to spell him and bring him back, I have to be mindful of how much racing he has before going there."
Clipperton said he was pleased to have helped Goldman take out the biggest win of his career.
"He's been a good friend and he's been a great supporter of mine over the years, so it's good he gets a big win on the board under his name," Clipperton said.
"Faust never gives in, he'd been building to a win and Kurt presented the horse in perfect order."