Matamata trainer Pam Gerard added two further wins to her season tally following racing at Taupo on Friday.

Gerard kicked off the meeting in winning fashion when Mood Painter took out the opening event of the 10-race card, the Winstone Wallboards GIB Maiden (1800m), in the hands of the stable apprentice Joe Nishizuka, and they teamed up to score once more with Dragon Biscuit in the Haimes Building R65 (1100m).

Mood Painter was bred by Gerard’s former training partner Mike Moroney and is now owned by Ballymore Racing NZ trainer Pam Gerard, who previously trained the dam, Sound Works, to win over 1400m at Tauranga, after she had previously won twice in Australia.

“Joe (Nishizuka) rode to instructions and that certainly helps,” Gerard said.

“She hasn’t got the best of feet and was generally shin sore in the early days, but she’s always shown us she can gallop and just needed the time to mature.

“She’s certainly finding it a bit easier now as a five-year-old, seems to have cottoned onto the game, and she tries pretty hard.

“Being in front suited her I think, rather than cluttered up among horses, and she appreciated leading them up.”

Gerard was pleased to double her meeting tally with Dragon Biscuit later on the card.

“We gave him a spell after running in two pretty hot sprint races at Ruakaka, and I scratched him recently when it was too wet,” Gerard said.

“He’s not a bad galloper, but just needs things to go his way. He’s actually just finished growing, having previously been a bit uneven, and dropping back to Rating 65 grade gave him a better chance.

“I thought the Heavy8 might be a touch too wet for him, but he had been very confident in his work and full of himself to probably just be in the right shape.”

Dragon Biscuit is also owned by Gerard under her Ballymore Racing NZ banner.

“We’ve taken over the racing of Dragon Biscuit, but Alan Fu (Pegasus Bloodstock) previously owned him and he’s going back to him when he’s finished to join his riding school,” Gerard said.