Under a sky threatening more of the moderate rain that had softened the Wagga Riverside track to a Soft 5 rating, a familiar name etched in purple-and-white checks lit up the Murrumbidgee Turf Club. Sheridan Street, the 4-year-old bay mare named after Gundagai’s bustling main drag, stormed to a polished victory in the $16,000 Viewco Xmas Party Cup Benchmark 50 Handicap over 1000 metres – her second career win and a timely reminder of why this filly has captured the hearts of Riverina racing fans.
Trained by local Wagga conditioner Doug Gorrel and piloted by veteran jockey John Kissick, Sheridan Street jumped alertly from barrier 8 in the 11-horse field. With the rail positioned +8 metres from the 1400-metre mark to the winning post – a setup that created a wide, kick-back-laden circuit – she wasted no time crossing to the lead, settling two-wide without cover. The tempo was genuine but measured, clocking an estimated first 400 metres in around 23.80 seconds, allowing the field to bunch before the turn.
As the straight opened at the 400-metre marker, Kissick gave her the reins at the 350, and Sheridan Street responded with the explosive burst that has defined her brief but brilliant career. She scorched the last 600 metres in a slick 34.81 seconds, drawing clear in the final furlong and crossing the line easing down by three-quarters of a length (0.42 lengths officially) over the brave Son Of Zorro ($6.50). Freddy’s Shock, ridden by apprentice Holly Durnan with a 0/54kg claim, railed home gamely for third, a further 0.83 lengths adrift at $9.
The clock stopped at 59.47 seconds – 0.33 seconds inside the benchmark for the conditions – underscoring a performance that rates among the stronger BM50 sprints of the Wagga summer carnival. Stewards’ notes were succinct: no incidents, a clean start, and a pronounced on-pace bias that saw the top four finishers all positioned in the first half of the field at the 400-metre peg. Backmarkers like Deep Joy and Finn’s The Icon, caught wide and covering extra ground in the slop, simply had too much to do.
For Gorrel, who operates a modest but effective stable from his Wagga base alongside wife Jenny, the win was vindication after a campaign that had tested the mare’s resolve. Sheridan Street entered the race with a benchmark of 56, off a gritty third at Wagga over 1100 metres on Soft 6 ground three weeks prior.
The victory – her second from just six starts – boosted her career prizemoney to approximately $29,000, with the $8,150 first-prize cheque pushing her earnings over the $25,000 mark from her maiden success. Her updated record now stands at 2 wins, 0 seconds, and 2 thirds, reflecting a selective but sharp profile: 33% winners, 67% in the money.
To truly appreciate Saturday’s success, one must rewind to her unforgettable debut on 6 April 2025, at Gundagai – a tight, turning 1000-metre maiden plate on a perfectly rated Good 4. Drawn the horror barrier 18 of 18, most connections would have scratched. Not Doug Gorrel’s team. Local Gundagai jockey Billy Owen, a 32-year-old with a 22% strike rate at his home track and nearing 400 career victories, took the mount and delivered a ride for the ages. Owen burned early to cross and slot the rail, leading all the way to win by 1.5 lengths in 57.20 seconds – a sizzling time on the fairest track she’s seen.
His post-race interview with the Gundagai Times captured the filly’s raw potential and the unbreakable confidence in her camp. “We drew barrier 18 of 18, which certainly wasn’t ideal at Gundagai, first starter at 1000m. Most of the time you’d be scratching, but that’s how confident we were,” Owen said.
“We were confident that she could overcome the barrier draw. She’s a pretty fast filly. The plan was to be up on speed early, and if she showed enough speed to lead, we’d be comfortable doing that, too. As it panned out, she did show enough speed, and we were able to get to the rail, which is a big thing with first starters, and she did the rest.”
He continued, praising her composure: “It was a really smart win for a horse having their first start with all the circumstances that came with it, the barrier and the tight turning track, etc.”
Owen, whose family ties run deep in the district (he’s the pride of Brungle with a Tiger tattoo to boot), also touched on the ownership angle: “I think I’ll be on it until it doesn’t get my weight. Two of the owners are Gundagai lads, Dave Tout and Marty Hay, and with it being named after the Main Street, I think it’s fitting to have it ridden by a Gundagai jockey.”
When talking about her style: “She’ll always be on the pace, I guess you could say. For instance, that first race, if she had drawn soft in gates 2, 3 or 4, we would have just stalked, I wouldn’t have gassed her as I did, and I think she’ll be a lot more electric the last 200 when she can be ridden like that.”
Distance-wise: “If I had to have an opinion right now, I do think she’ll run 1400, but I probably couldn’t see her going much further than 1400, 1200 I wouldn’t worry in the world.”
And on temperament: “When I got on her in the mounting yard, she got on her toes a little bit, and the strapper said, ‘I’m glad she did that because she was falling asleep out the back in the tie-up stalls’. She’s a very professional little horse, and the boys had to get a little bit behind her to get her into the barriers, but that’s just a first starter being a bit nervous. But she did everything else very professionally, and that makes my job easier.”
Owen’s prophecy has aged like fine Riverina red: Sheridan Street did indeed freshen briefly, then tackled a Class 1 at Wagga Cup Day (18 May 2025, 1200m, Good 4), where she ran 11/14, beaten 7 lengths after a wide run. Spelled through winter as planned, she resumed in spring with a promising third over 1000m at Albury (25 October 2025, Good 4), showing her trademark burst despite a three-wide trip. Her most recent prep included another battling third at Gundagai (15 November 2025, 1100m, Soft 6) – a prep run that set her up perfectly for this target.
Sheridan Street is by high-class sire Smart Missile (winner of the 2009 Golden Rose Stakes) out of the Commands mare Didn’t Even Kiss Me – a pedigree blending explosive sprint speed with wet-track affinity (Smart Missile progeny boast a 58% win strike on soft/heavy per Australian Thoroughbred Breeders’ stats).
Owned by a tight-knit group including Gundagai’s Dave Tout and Marty Hay, who insisted on the street-inspired name as a nod to their hometown – she’s very much a Riverina product.
– Tully Potts
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