Signed up: Damian Wilson and Laura Crossland were married last weekend.
Damian Wilson and Laura Crossland tied the knot in a home wedding at Byrneside at the weekend.
The popular harness racing couple went to a lot of detail for their big day with about 80 family and friends attending.
Acclaimed district crooner Callum Gleeson provided the entertainment for the wedding which also contributed greatly to the memorable occasion.
It’s been a week to remember for Laura who drove the Brian Bourke-trained trotter Starlight Red to another win at Wednesday night’s Echuca meeting.
Hunter fills her bag
It was a case of on the double at last week’s Shepparton meeting.
Echuca trainer Susan Hunter set the mood early for dual success when she won two of the first three races.
Hunter opened the meeting with a win with Twilight Beach and two races later was back in the winner’s circle with Jong Ang.
David Moran drove Twilight Beach to her second win in 10 starts since joining the Hunter barn.
A four-year-old Somebeachsomewhere mare Twilight Beach came from the rear of the field to nab the pacemaker, the 14-year-old marvel Baccarat, having his 312th start, near the finishing line.
Reinsman Rodney Lakey was able to get Jong Ang to take over the front running position early and the Betterthancheddar gelding led throughout to account for Bronski Moment and Imjollygood to register his fourth career win.
Formerly prepared in the Riverina it was Jong Ang’s first win for Hunter in 10 starts she has given the pace. But in seven of these outings he has figured in a top four finish so the win was well overdue and deserved.
Apart from his win on Jong Ang, Moran also partnered the Clive Dalton-trained pacer Ceasar Nero to complete a driving double.
The lightly raced three-year-old Huntsville gelding ran his rivals ragged in a dashing front-of-the-field display, rating a brilliant 1:54.6 mile rate for the 1690m dash.
He had over 10m to spare over the runner-up Our Fire And Delight at the finishing post.
Ceasar Nero completed a hat-trick of wins on the Shepparton track with his win and has had just the 11 career starts for his three career wins with another four minor placings.
He will be attempting to make it four wins on the trot at tomorrow night’s Melton meeting.
Pitt takes two
Mark Pitt was another district reinsman to land a driving double at the Shepparton meeting.
He partnered the Craig Turnbull prepared Binalong Bay to an all-theway win and also scored on Love You Longtime who claimed the Peter Rathjen Memorial.
A three-year-old by American Ideal Binalong Bay was overdue for the win after second placings at his previous two starts and punters supported him into a $1.50 favourite. It was Pitt’s first drive on the pacer. Trained by Pitt’s wife Lisa, Love You Longtime unleashed a sustained run from the 700m mark to account for Lorimermajor and Jeremy Wells in his first run since August 1.
A five-year-old Sweet Lou gelding he has now won six races from 12 starts since joining the Pitt barn.
Dual triumph for Julie
Another trainer who did it on the double at the Shepparton meeting was Julie Douglas.
The Bendigo-based mentor produced Epic Orion and Miss Hermes for wins in successive races.
Epic Orion, driven by Josh Duggan, notched his fifth win for Douglas, while Ellen Tormey partnered Miss Hermes who notched her fifth win from 51 tries.
She has also had to be content to be runner-up a frustrating 13 times and third eight on eight occasions so has been a consistent money earner for connections.
Tappe into her ability
Congupna trained trotter Millee may have had a hiccup at her first attempt to score-up but certainly made amends when she got a second chance with a dashing win at last week’s Bendigo meeting.
The Eddie Tappe prepared and driven daughter of Rock N Roll Heaven was keen and caused a false start in the first score-up which didn’t have punters, who had supported her from 8/1 to a $3.40 favourite, on good terms with themselves.
But all was forgotten in the second score-up when Millee was able to settle in one-one sit and then destroy her rivals when unleashed by Tappe with 700m to run.
Bred to be a pacer Millee has now won three races with 10 minor placings and her slick 2.01.0 mile rate for the 2150m trip in her latest win is a PB.
Potter crafts double
Shepparton trainer Wayne Potter was another district horseman to land a training double last week.
He performed the feat at last week’s Bendigo meeting with Rocknroll Kiss and Spyglass.
Rocknroll Kiss completed successive wins at his first two starts with his win, scoring on debut at his previous start at Shepparton in late August.
Driven a perfect race by Potter’s daughter Tasmyn, Rocknroll Kiss finished strongly to score in a blanket finish with only three metres separating the first four placegetters.
Tasmyn was able to get the threeyear-old gelding into a one-one sit from a wide draw which proved the winning factor in the race.
Rocknroll Kiss returned an impressive 1.55.3 mile rate which included a 56.23 last for the 1650m trip to suggest he is a pacer with a lot of ability.
Spyglass completed successive wins and posted his third win in five starts after a quiet Nathan Jack drive.
Drawn the second row, Jack was able to get Spyglass into the running line three back before making a winning move on the home turn when he unleashed some quick sectionals to exert his superiority.
In the swing of things
Veteran Arcardia horseman John McLean is a bit of a man-of-the moment right now.
Currently there is a pacer going around sporting his name and he was able to put his name up in lights at the Shepparton meeting, producing Momentum Swing for a solid win.
Momentum Swing was sent forward from a wide front row draw by reinsman Chris Alford and had to work hard to find the front in the concluding stages. But he was up to the challenge and able to stall off all late challengers.
A three-year-old son of Vincent, Momentum Swing was having only his fifth start since joining the McLean stables and was well supported into a $2.10 favourite.
His former trainer Camerom Maggs won three races with him and in his latest win he produced a PB 1:57.4 mile rate over the 1690m trip.
Robyn goes tweet, tweet
He might have been the last horse listed in the last race at the Cranbourne meeting last Saturday night but he was first home.
“He” is the Craig Turnbull-trained pacer Dalvey Robyn who came from last and swamped his rivals in the home straight with a 56.1 last half which included a 28.2 final sectional.
Shepparton concession reinsman Corey O’Donoghue drove a cool race on the Washington VC five-year-old gelding who had punters who had supported him a little worried at times.
But O’Donoghue knew what he was doing and when he unleashed the brakes on the home bend it was all over.
It was the eighth win for O’Donoghue, son of prominent Shepparton trainer Steve O’Donoghue, and also the eighth win for Dalvey Robyn, six of these achieved under Turnbull’s training since he arrived from New Zealand with one win to his credit.
It’s been a good week for Turnbull who also had a winner at Wednesday’s meeting at Melton.
Turnbull won with Hiranya who completed successive wins after scoring at his previous start at Bendigo on December 8.
On Wednesday reinswoman Abbey Turnbull was content to sit at the rear of the field on the Bettors Delight four-year-old, but once she popped the ‘go’ she had emphatical answer with the gelding swamping his rivals in the concluding stages to post his 11th win and take his prizemoney close to $100,000.
Boyo has a windy win
Shepparton trainer-driver Steve Boyington was another Goulburn Valley trainer to get an early Christmas present at Wednesday’s Melton meeting.
Boyington struck with the trotter Hurricane Jane who finished stoutly to upset her rivals at odds of 20/1.
Her price was a bit surprising as she had been close-up in her past three outings since winning at Shepparton in early November.
Hurricane Jane’s 2:02.0 mile rate over the 2240m trip was the quickest of her three wins to date.
By Skyvalley, Hurricane Jane is out of the Sundon mare Gioiosa Ionica, a winner of six races.
A chance to go wild
Shepparton reinswoman Codi Rauchenberger is one of two “wild card” inclusions to contest the inaugural Garrards Horse and Hound Young Guns Series at Melton on December 31.
HRV stewards named Rauchenberger and Shannon O’Sullivan as the two wildcards to join eight other drivers to contest the series.
They join James Herbertson, Jack Laugher, Ryan Sanderson, Taylor Youl, Declan Murphy, Jordan Leedham, Jordan Chibnall and Ryan Backhouse all qualified by being in the state’s top eight drivers under the age of 25 based on winners throughout 2023 to December 15.
Herbertson topped the list with 245 wins.
The 10 drivers will compete in eight ratings-exempt races through the course of the night, with a sliding points scale based on finishing positions used to declare an overall winner.
The series champion will receive a Cobra sulky with FMT wheels in the colours of their choice.
Al, he’s bloody old
Must admit I was surprised when I checked the breeding of a trotter called Uncle Al, who won a twohorse trial at Kyabram last Sunday.
He came up as deceased which is no surprise considering he was listed as being foaled in 1920.
That would make him 103 if he was still alive.
But it’s the modern day Uncle Al who was the trotter that won the trial.
He was foaled in 2011 and had 169 starts for Anne Maree Conroy for 11 wins and 40 placings.
Anne Maree‘s brother Glenn Conroy said Uncle Al was named after his mother’s brother, so they were keen to get him a good home.
His last start for that stable was in April this year and he is now owned and being trained by Merrigum horseman Neil Caldwell who drove him in Sunday’s trial.
Simply the best
Inter Dominion grand final night proved two things.
Queensland trained Leap To Fame is the best pacer in Australia and Victorian Just Believe is the best trotter.
Both proved this with their comprehensive wins when their rivals could offer no excuses in their respective finals.
Good Pirie prizes
Once considered a trots outpost Port Pirie in South Australia turned a few heads with the prizemoney it dished out at last Sunday night’s meeting.
Some $30,000 was up for grabs in the two-year-old Sires Stakes Classic which unfortunately had only the three starters.
Another six races on the nineevent card offered prizemoney of $7000.
King Bernie retired
The King Of Mildura trotting, pacer Bernie Winkle, has been retired.
The 10-year-old bowed out a winner saluting on the track he made his own, posting an incredible 42 wins.
He leaves the racetrack boasting a record of 65 wins and 83 placings for stake earnings of almost $680,000.
Connections believe timing was right for Bernie Winkle to end his racing career and live a life of well earned luxury at the Anderson-Douglas property in Bendigo.
“Bernie was no champion, but to us he’s been a champion horse,” Glenn Douglas, who prepared Bernie for most of his wins, said.
Coming up
Tuesday: Geelong (n)
Wednesday: Stawell (d), Shepparton (n)
Thursday: Maryborough (d), Mildura (n)
