2017 kicked off in style at Bunbury Turf Club | photos

Those that had a flutter were rewarded with a chance to fill their wallets with a number of favourites getting the job done. 

Bunbury jockey Glenn Smith took out the first on nine races aboard Spiritual Eyes ($3.90). The pair bounced fast, led early and held the small field of six out by two lengths. 

Fresh off his win in the Perth Cup on New Year’s Eve, jockey Jarrad Noske took out race two in Bunbury with Dukeazza ($7.20) sweeping from last to first over 1420 metres to score by a neck. 

Noske looked set to record a double in race three but Joseph Azzopardi and Amaliemoo ($4.50) got a last second dive in to record victory. 

Champion hoop William Pike recorded his first win of the new year in race four. Partnering Fast Like The Wind ($1.70), the short priced favourite looked a good thing from start to finish, sweeping to the front 200 metres from home and pulling away to score by three-and-a-half lengths. 

Race five saw another all-the-way winner with Peter Knuckey piloting Sir Snugalot ($2.80) to victory by one-and-a-quarter lengths over 1116 metres.

Race six, the first leg of the quaddie, saw four short-priced favourites take to the track with five roughies. The shorties snuck away to land an easy first four, paying $135.80. Of them, Puck Shapeshifter for apprentice jockey Randy Tan ran best to salute the judge first.

Pike brought up a double in race seven with an easy win aboard Thunder Boom ($1.70). The Ben Pearce trained three-year-old filly never looked pressured in her third race start and trounced the competition by almost five lengths. 

The short-priced favourite also took home the prize in race eight. Jockey Ryan Hill and Tonkatuff ($2.60) sat patiently towards the rear of the field over 1705 metres, pulling out in the straight and hitting the front with a long neck margin. 

The ninth and last race of the day gave jockey Jason Whiting his first win of 2017, with Miss Sondrio ($1.70) trained in Bunbury by Bruce Watkins, winning by more than a length over 1216 metres. 

Racing next returns to Bunbury Turf Club on Wednesday, January 11.