TRACK specialist Lesgo Don relished being “home away from home” on Saturday with an all-the-way win at the Moree Ag Supplies and Steel twilight Christmas races.

And the Ridge Wilson-trained gelding strengthened part-owner Jack Forman’s reputation as a horse-trader when journeyman jockey Georgina McDonnell led from pillar to post on the four-year-old.

Forman, now living at Newcastle after growing up in Moree, bought Lesgo Don as a young horse for his grandfather, Les Quinn, who happens to know a thing or two about racehorses.

Quinn bred and raced Classic Karla, a winner of nearly $400,000 prize money and 13 races, including the QRSE Smith and Nephew Stakes and the CEB Barnes Plate, both at Eagle Farm nearly 20 years ago.

Foreman knew he had to get it right when selecting a horse for his grandfather.

“I picked out the horse, and he wasn’t going too well to start with,” Forman grinned.

“We got him from the ready-to-run sales. A mate I went to school with, Mitchell Williams, bought him as yearling and took him to the sales, where he was passed in.

“Mitchell said, ‘I’ve got a horse here that will win you races at Moree’, so we bought him.

“It’s good that he’s finally paying us back, and great to get a win at Moree, with all the family here,” Forman said.

Georgina McDonnell brings popular winner Lesgo Don back to scale after winning at Moree on Saturday.

Les Quinn tells the story a little differently, however.

“Jack bought the horse, and said ‘gramps, can you pay for him’,” he laughed.

“But seriously, I think we’ll win more races with him and he loves the Moree track – I reckon he feels like he’s home. His two best wins have been at Moree.

“We’re over the moon with that win, and we owe a lot to Ridge Wilson,” Quinn said.

“Ridge has done so well with this horse. He’s a great trainer and good young bloke, and we’ll stick with him.

“We’ll go to Inverell now for the carnival and see if there’s a race there for the horse.”

After a slow getaway in the 1400m McGregor Gourlay BM-50 Handicap Lesgo Don ($5) mustered speed under Georgina McDonnell to lead throughout and win by nearly half-a-length from Stateswoman ($12) and recent Inverell Bush Battlers’ Cup winner True Patriot ($3.40fav).

McDonnell, back in New South Wales after riding in north Queensland earlier this year, said Lesgo Don was a popular win.

“Winning with all the owners here and hearing the crowd cheer halfway down the straight is fantastic. And they all wanted a photo, so we got that, too,” McDonnell beamed.

“The horse was a bit slow to begin, but Ridge did say, ‘if he’s slow, urge him along to get him up and travelling, because that’s how he runs best – Ridge is such a good fellow as well as a good trainer.”

McDonnell is now based at Dubbo and keen for more winners.

“I was previously on the mid-north coast and from there I went on a bit of a working holiday,” she said.

“We did a lap around Cairns, Townsville and Innisfail and that area. I rode at all those tracks, which was fun, and now we’re back in Dubbo ready to go again,” she smiled.