Valachi Downs principal Kevin Hickman picked up the thick end of the prizemoney from the race that he sponsored at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day when promising three-year-old Needle And Thread led all the way to win the Gr.2 Valachi Downs Royal Stakes (2000m).
Punters were on the ball in Saturday's $300,000 Listed Sportsbet Pakenham Cup (2500m), hammering the Matthew Smith-trained Attorney (FR) into favouritism.