Naomi Hemmings ready to reign again

By Glenn Davis

Just two wins in August ended a horror six months for Warwick trainer Naomi Hemmings.

Hemmings has endured some tough times this year along with her husband and fellow trainer Michael Hemmings, who was hospitalised following a fall.

“Michael had a fall while shopping one day which put him out for a month,” Hemmings said.

“He was hospitalised and had to have a pacemaker put in. He’s just started to come back to the track to help out as much as possible.”

The 53-year-old Naomi Hemmings works a team of up to eight at Warwick and will head to Gatton on Thursday with Gunna Reign, who was the stable’s last winner at Warra on August 29.

Her only other winner since late February was with Mini Boo at Toowoomba on August 8.

Hemmings nominated Gunna Reign for the Ratings Band 0 - 55 over 1100 metres and Benchmark 58 Handicap over 860 metres, but the latter is the preferred option.

She also has a back-up option for Tabulam on Saturday, but is unlikely to head that way with Gunna Reign.

Gunna Reign was originally prepared by Gunnedah trainer Gavin Groth and later by Newcastle trainer Dale Wagstaff before she was bought in a package deal of three horses.

“Peter and Peta Gray bought them and it was a fairly cheap deal,” Hemmings said.

“Peter is a great asset to the racing industry as he buys a lot of horses from interstate and leases most of them.”

Gunna Reign had only been in Hemmings’ stable for two weeks when the four-year-old was successful in her stable debut at Warra.

“I was going to take her to Goondiwindi for her first start, but she was only with us for two weeks, so I took her to Warra and she won,” Hemmings said.

“I’m not sure what happened at her next start when she ran last over 1100 metres at Warwick.”

Gunna Reign made her third appearance for the stable, finishing second in a 1000 metre Benchmark 50 race at Talwood on September 19.

“I got the impression when she went terrible at Warwick that she couldn’t go 1100 metres,” Hemmings said.

“But, Paul Hamblin rode her at Talwood and he said she finished off the 1000 metres very strongly and he thinks she’ll run 1100 metres.

“She gives the impression she needs to run freely and not be restrained as she’s got a nice free-running style.

“I think she should go okay at Gatton.”