Fancy meeting you here could well have been how the three-way conversation went when the placegetters weighed in after the $10 200 three-year-old race at the Leeton Breeders Plate Final meeting last Friday night.
The winner was the Dave Farrartrained Heres A Real Go who accounted for another Sheppartontrained pacer Lochinvar Hugo with Saving Major Percy, who was driven by Euroa horseman Cameron Maggs, filling the minor placing.
Maggs usually drives Heres A Real Go, but local reinsman Bill Trembath took the drive on the pacer with Maggs driving Saving Major Percy for Chiltern horseman Peter Romero.
The runner-up Lochinvar Hugo, who is trained by Laura Crossland and driven by David Moran, was a winner on the track two starts previously on January 1, but couldn’t run down Heres A Real Go who took up the front running two laps out and was never headed in a dominant win.
The three-year-old Changeover gelding’s mile rate of 1:57.9 for the 2147 m trip was a personal best in his two wins to date from 12 starts.
He will have his next start in the George Croxford Tribute on Monday at Cobram.
With his win Heres A Real Go capped a successful week for Farrar who had also produced Hayjoshandco for a win at Maryborough the previous Monday.
The A Special Dream fairytale rolls on with the rejuvenated Steve Duffy-trained pacer notching his 13th win when he scored on Wednesday night at Shepparton.
It was the Live Or Die seven-yearold’s sixth win for the season from 18 starts and followed on from a run of 33 starts in which he did not salute once.
Talented first season reinsman Ryan Duffy again drove him a treat from a second row draw, latching on to the three deep passage over the final lap and running down the short priced favourite Showgun Thomas in the home straight.
Another local in the winner’s circle was Mister Zhivago for Undera horseman Glenn Freeman.
It was a good training feat from Freeman to win first-up with the six-year-old Mister Big gelding, who was driven by Bec Bartley, having his first start since September.
Also among the winners at Shepparton was Avenel horseman Ian Montgomery who scored with Kissmelvis, the pacer that had a race last week at Wangaratta shot to pieces before he broke into a gallop.
There’s an old saying never count your chickens before they hatch.
Transferred into racing parlance it means never start counting your winnings until your selection is first past the judge.
And even that can come unstuck at times — with a protest.
At Wangaratta last week no doubt supporters of the long odds-on favourite Kissmelvis were on good terms with themselves when he surged to the front and looked all over a winner with about 50 m to go in the C0 only event.
But ecstasy turned to shock horror for Ian Montgomery’s Kissmelvis supporters when he broke into a gallop with the finishing line in sight.
The Ian Ward-trained and Tanya Ward-driven Krisney Symbol who Kissmelvis had wrestled the lead from in the straight took full advantage of the favourite’s antics and went on to seize victory at the nice odds of nearly 12/1.
A winner at Swan Hill on December 19 Krisney Symbol had strung together a second and two thirds going into the race.
It was the third win for the consistent Krisney Symbol, a four-yearold daughter of Modern Art, who has also been placed another 10 times in 22 starts.
It was the second career win from 16 starts for Kissmelvis.
David and Josh Aiken also combined to win the Bohbron Park Pace Final with the consistent Sanna Cruza who has not finished further back than fourth in her past 12 outings which have included three wins and five second placings.
Ardmona horsewoman Donna Castles has had a happy knack of driving long priced winners in her career in the sulky and she did it again at Wangaratta.
Castles partnered Thunder Cookie to an upset win in a C0 Only class race for Shepparton trainer Kevin Mark.
Almost neglected by punters after being winless in 45 previous starts Thunder Cookie was a 27/1 shot and put most early quaddie punters out of business when she powered over her rivals in the final stages for an emphatic win.
