First kiss
…Wayne Binns gets drenched in the winners’ enclosure as Goodness Graceous delivers a long-awaited first win
Trainer Wayne Binns could hardly contain his emotions after saddling his first winner on Saturday, May 2, 2026. His charge Goodness Graceous won the seventh race, a maiden condition event for four-year-olds and up over 5 furlongs (1,000m) straight.
“Oh, my gosh, I don’t know what to say, I am just so happy right now,” he exclaimed
Binns, a 2023 trainers’ school graduate, didn’t get much time to process it. He was immediately showered with liquid in the winners’ enclosure by colleagues and friends who swarmed to celebrate the milestone.
“That was a touching moment for me, and I thank all my colleagues and friends, who shared this victory with me. After I left the winners’ enclosure, I checked my phone, and a message came up… ‘do not charge your phone’…it seems I was splashed with so much liquid which affected my phone. No harm done, as saddling my first winner is something to cherish,” Binns stated.
The win didn’t come easy. Facing 10 rivals, jockey Jaheim Anderson had to be patient with
Goodness Graceous, a bay colt by Perfect Curlin out of Rachel’s Grace, after a sluggish break from barrier eight.
Money Mission (Raddesh Roman) and Brilliant Mind (Dane Dawkins) cut out the early fractions, but once they came out of the chute onto the main track, Anderson angled his mount closer to the inside rails. That was the move.
From there, Goodness Graceous accelerated. He swept past rivals and put the race to bed, scoring by 2 ½ lengths in 1:02.1. Splits were 23.4 x 48.3. Modern Monarch (Jemar Jackson) was second, Delightful One (Tevin Foster) third. It was the colt’s third career start.
For Binns, the result was two years in the making.
“It has been a long road with Goodness Graceous,” he said.
“I was preparing him as a two-year-old in 2024 to race at three. Then in late 2024, he received an injury and had to be taken out of training for a year. Goodness Graceous returned to training in late December of 2025, and then made his first competitive start in early March, 2026. Now after just three runs, he is a winner,” he explained.
Binns didn’t forget who backed him: “This victory would not have been possible without the assistance of Mr Michael Bernard, who is the owner and breeder of Goodness Graceous. Mr Bernard has given a lot of encouragement, for which I am grateful,” Binns said.
