Veteran trainer Kel Chapman, who has occupied stables at Caulfield for 52 years, scored his first city winner for nearly 3 years when Going Spending was successful in the Geoff Murphy Handicap.

Coming with a late run, Going Spending ($8-$8.50) charged down the outside to beat the Jim Mason trained favourite King's Farewell ($3.00-$3.20-$3.00F) by a head with Castle Hill Lad ($7-$11)three quarters of a length away in third place.

A winner at his only other start at Wangaratta, Going Spending is a descendant of Gossiper, one of the best horses Chapman ever trained.

Gossiper won the Group 1 AJC Oaks in a stellar career that also saw her win the VRC Bloodhorse Breeders Stakes, VRC Kewney Stakes and the VRC Craiglee Stakes.

Chapman has kept his hand in as a trainer with progeny of Gossiper's daughter Spending, who is the granddam of Going Spending.

"The Wilding's have been very good to me", he said of the Wilding family who raced Gossiper and bred and own Going Spending.

In fact the Wilding family have been the owners of all Chapman's winners over the past few years including his last city winner, Smooth Customer, a colt out of Spending who won at Sandown in the winter of 2003.

Chapman now has "only a couple of horses" in work at Caulfield, including Going Spending and Deign To Dance, with whom he has won two races this season.

Jockey Peter Mertens was impressed with Going Spending's performance.

"He bombed the start", he said. "It was a good win."

"He was getting to the line looking around and not really knowing what he was doing."

By Dangerous, Going Spending was bred by the Wilding family from the Prego mare Go Spending, a daughter of Spending whose dam was Gossiper. Dangerous has recently relocated from Chatswood Stud to Laurie McCarth's Greta West Stud.

Photos: Fiona Tomlin 

© Cyberhorse 2010 Bill Saunders Published 15/04/06