Fellow walker Woods strode to a personal best in the women's 20km race. The pair married six weeks ago.

The two-day Snake Gully Cup carnival, offering $243,000 prizemoney, begins on Friday, November 15. It features the McAlister and Saunderson Snake Gully Cup (1400m), which has been boosted to $60,000.

On Saturday, the Gundagai-Adelong Race Club follow up with a TAB meeting featuring the $12,000 Hair Of The Dog Cup (1800m). Double joy for Joseph CANBERRA trainer Barbara Joseph enjoyed cup success on successive days at Cootamundra and Warwick Farm.

On Sunday, the Joseph-trained six-year-old gelding Sobeit, ridden by Grant Buckley and starting $2.30 favourite, snared the $20,000 Cootamundra Cup (2000m) in a three-way thriller from Keys To Thekingdom and Summit Assault.

Sobeit looked beaten several times in the home straight but rallied under hard riding by Buckley to score narrowly.

On Monday at Warwick Farm, eight-year-old Island Swing returned to peak form after two disappointing runs to take the $40,000 Spring Country Cup (1600m) ridden by Glyn Schofield. "Just an old marvel," Joseph said after the surprise victory. Barnhills pick winner FORMER NSW State of Origin rugby league player David Barnhill and his father David snr look to have a promising horse on their hands in Wamoon Raider.

Ridden by Adam Gain, the four-year-old gelding scored brilliantly in a 1100m maiden at Cootamundra last Sunday.

The Barnhills, who own a hotel in Wagga Wagga, have Greg McDermott preparing the gelding. The trainer is confident there are more wins in store. Shelton's high hopes WHILE promising filly Star Of Cugat has been spelled, five-time Northern Rivers premiership-winning trainer John Shelton has high hopes for another three-year-old, Ibalance.

Star Of Cugat earned a well-deserved break after winning its past four races - two at Lismore and two at Grafton - for a syndicate known colloquially as the Ulmarra gang.

"We'll see how she comes up but she's a real trier and I really think she can develop further and come back a better filly," Shelton said of the daughter of King Cugat purchased as an afterthought at the Magic Million yearling sales.

Ibalance, which won two of its three starts before having a spell, is back in work and likely to resume racing next month.

"He spelled really well," Shelton said of the steely grey. "I haven't picked out a race for him yet but he's coming along nicely." Dunbar purple patch DUBBO jockey Ken Dunbar enjoyed a profitable weekend at Mudgee and Gulargambone.

Dunbar scored a double at Mudgee aboard Rage And Rave for Hawkesbury trainer Anita Rossiter and Tollado for Gunnedah-based Arthur Craig then went within a half-length of riding the program at Gulargambone last Sunday.

He finished runner-up aboard Back Alley to Temperate Prince in the opening event then won aboard Get Loud for Coonabarabran trainer Garry Bignell, Slather (Peter McCauley, Dubbo), Southern Charm (Wayne Collison, Narromine) and Carryon Miss (McCauley).

And followers of Dunbar collected handsomely - the prices of his winning mounts were $4.60, $21, $3.20 and $7 respectively.

At the Mungery picnics on the same day, Beltana (Ashley Boyd), trained by Griffith's Tammy Schmetzer, edged out 2006 Grafton Cup winner and $1.50 favourite Rocking On by a half head with Cristoforo a distant third.

Clint Lundohlm continued his amazing run since tackling the picnic circuit with a treble on Carry The Wind, Victory Theatre and Gobi King. They're racing TAB meetings: Today - Coonamble; Tomorrow - Goulburn, Cessnock; Tuesday - Grafton; Friday - Taree, Queanbeyan; Saturday - Narromine.

Non-TAB: Saturday - Bombala, Canberra, Corowa, Gunnedah, Inverell, Wagga. Stable secrets EIGHT MILE: goes the distance.

SEA HUNTER: catch of the day.

CHESS: should make a move.

tony_white3@bigpond.com