THE “crazy lady” from Muswellbrook – five-year-old mare Avoid Me – and champion approved rider Leandro Ribeiro kept their unbeaten picnic record intact with a powerhouse win in the 1600m Boggabri Business Houses Wean Picnic Cup on Saturday.

Ribeiro and Avoid Me – trained at Muswellbrook by the jockey’s partner, Julia Presits – are now three from three on the New South Wales picnic circuit, with wins this year at Tomingley, Mudgee and now Wean.

For Presits, her first trip to the spacious, once-a-year track east of Boggabri was rewarded with the time-honoured Wean Cup, first held in 1933.

“It was a very good, tough win,” Presits said.

“She’s not an easy horse to be around, and has a bit of a bad reputation, but Leandro gets on with her super and rides all her trackwork at home.

“Together, they’re now unbeaten at the picnics.”

Avoid Me ($4) was driven to the front by Ribeiro from a wide gate to race clear and score by more than a length from Ridge Wilson’s Himorher ($3.60fav), with Gavin Groth’s Norman ($4.20) three-parts-of-a-length away third.

“From the outside gate, she ended up three-wide with no cover, and Leandro had to make a quick decision to go forward when the pace wasn’t on,” Presits said.

“It was her first time over 1600m at the picnics, but she is very fit and just kept going, and was too good for them.

“It was great to get another win with Avoid Me, especially after all the hard work Leandro has put in with her at home – she doesn’t go under the nickname ‘crazy lady’ for nothing,” Presits laughed.

Wean Cup winner Avoid Me and trainer Julia Presits at Wean picnic races on Saturday (Image courtesy of Janian McMillan).

Stablemate Cheeky Nugget finished seventh in the cup, with Presits’ Hermosa Rosa third in the 1000m Whitehaven Coal Nandewar Bracelet behind veteran sprinter Billy Bent Ear.

“It was a great day at Wean picnics and my first time there,” Presits said.

“Leandro has ridden there a few times before and also really enjoys it – we’ll definitely be back next year,” she smiled.

Meanwhile, Connie Greig’s incredible old campaigner Billy Bent Ear retired from racing on a winning note by collecting the Wean Bracelet for the second time – the 12-year-old’s 20th win from 170 starts.

Affectionately known as “Frosty”, Billy Bent Ear was bought by Greig as a class 3 horse in early 2018 for $3000 and earned $294,100 prize money during a career that earned him cult status.

He won plenty of feature races on the New South Wales picnic racing circuit and was never out of place on the professional circuit, either.

Incredibly, with only one picnic meeting remaining before the racing season ends on July 31, Billy Bent Ear is the leading point-scorer for the $50,000 Picnic Championship Sprint Final, to be held at Dubbo on Sunday, September 28.

However, Billy Bent Ear turns 13 years of age on August 1 and, under the Rules of Racing, must be retired.