Top reinswoman Kima Frenning was not exactly the pin-up girl of quaddie punters after the running of the feature event, the Paul Roberts Jewellers Invitation Lady Divers Pace, at Cobram Harness Racing Club’s Community Pink Ladies fundraiser meeting last Sunday for the McGrath Foundation.
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The Nagambie horsewoman partnered the Wayne Anderson-trained pacer My Magic Merlin to an upset win in the $10000 race restricted to lady drivers on invitation.
In a tough performance, 20-1 shot My Magic Merlin outstayed the hot favourite Vena May, who was the quaddie anchor leg for most punters.
Laura Crossland, who prepares Vena May with David Moran, drove the third placegetter in the race, Giant Jackson, for Tatura trainer Craig Turnbull.
Worth celebrating
Kyabram trainers and owners had a big day at the Cobram fundraiser meeting on Sunday.
A group of Kyabram owners — known to celebrate win, lose or draw — enjoyed the win of trotter Rory McHinson who saluted for Kyabram trainer Mick Blackmore in his third run back from a long spell.
An aggressive drive from John Caldow, who made an early move to the frontrunning role off a backmark handicap, proved a winner with Rory McHinson just holding off fellow backmarker Starlight Storm in the run to the judge.
Rory McHinson is named after Kyabram’s Roy Hindson and Roy is among the Kyabram owners who include Jackie Pearce, Kyra Clark, Lyn Allen and Greg Woods.
A five-year-old by Muscle Mass, Rory McHinson has had just 10 starts for four wins and three placings.
Other Kyabram owners who enjoyed a win at the meeting were John Lilford, Tony Hansen, Rob Whitford and Peter Hall, who race the smart Steve Duffy-trained pacer Winkanditsover.
Driven by Ryan Duffy, Winkanditsover was coming off a second placing at Albury when resuming from a spell and has 10 wins with 19 minor placings from 38 starts.
Winkanditsover was the first leg of a training and driving double for the Duffys at Cobram.
They also combined to win with the three-year-old filly Tryna Portray, who claimed a heat of the Vicbred Platinum Country Series in a top effort from a back-row draw.
Boy, that’s overdue
Nobody could have begrudged Avenel pacer Boy From Bondi of his win at Melton last Saturday night.
The Ian Montgomery-trained and driven five-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere took the $10000 final of a C1 series, beating the odds-on favourite, the John Nissen-trained and Bec Bartley driven Heaven In Loxley, in a stirring finish.
With two seconds and four thirds at his previous seven starts, Boy From Bondi was overdue his win, the fourth of his 22-start career that has also produced 10 minor placings.
Despite being pipped at the post, John Nissen and Bec Bartley did not have to wait long to get their next winner.
Nissen owns the promising Rockon Locksley, who Bartley trains, who won impressively on Sunday at Cobram. The pacer boasts an impressive record of two wins, two seconds and a third from just five starts.
Art pretty as picture
Classy Shepparton pacer Lochinvar Art proved, as expected, too classy for his rivals in a heat of the three-year-old NSW Breeders Challenge at Wagga last Friday.
The dashing son of Modern Art, backing up from a win at Shepparton the previous Sunday, worked to the front early over the 1740m trip and won as he liked for reinsman David Moran, who trains the pacer with Laura Crossland.
In winning, Lochinvar Art posted a career best winning mile rate of 1:53.8, which included a 55.2 last half. But he has clocked quicker mile rates when not winning.
His record stands at 21 starts for 12 wins and nine placings for prize money earnings of $249830.
Lochinvar Art was the start of a big day in the sulky for Moran, who has had a driving double at Melton and a Shepparton treble in the past two weeks.
At Wagga, Moran also drove the other Breeders Challenge heat winner in the three-year-old colts and geldings series, Hardhitter, and also partnered Victoria Brew to win a three-year-old fillies heat. These pacers are trained by leading Victoria trainer Emma Stewart.
Moran also partnered another Victorian, the Gary and Debbie Quinlan-trained Rocknroll Pearl, in a heat for four-year-old mares to round off his quartet of winners at the meeting.
Victory a Smash hit
Sportswriter filly Smash It was rewarded with some good form with a debut win at her fifth start at Kilmore last week.
Driven by Ellen Tormey, Smash It finished strongly to beat Hecs Elect and Allfiredup in a three-year-old race.
Smash It had registered two seconds and a third leading into the race and was one of the top fancies.
Avenel horseman Wayne Potter prepares Smash It, who is out of the winning Panorama mare Sexy Lady, for veteran owner Jack Knight.
Covering ground
Well travelled pacer Think About Me made a winning return to Victorian racing at Swan Hill last week.
A winner of consecutive races — at Gloucester Park — at his first two outings in five West Australian starts after winning his previous two starts in Victoria when prepared by Nathan Jack, Think About Me lowered the colours of the hot favourite Brooklyn Brawler in his Swan Hill win in his first trip to the races since December.
Now in the stable of Amanda Turnbull, Think About Me, driven by concession reinsman Brad Chisholm, put in a tough run, sitting outside The Brooklyn Brawler for the last mile.
A four-year-old by Christian Cullen out of the Dream Away mare Our Imagine, a winner of more than $240000 in prize money, Think About Me has had just 15 starts for six wins and four minor placings.
Who dares, wins
Donna Castles has had a habit of driving long shot winners over the years and she did it again at Cobram on Sunday.
The Ardmona horsewoman partnered the pacer she trains, Castafiore, to her first win at her 15th start.
After finishing third at her previous two starts at Shepparton, the six-year-old daughter of Tintin In America was unwanted by most punters and paid more than $24 for the win on the tote.
Castles adopted daring driving tactics from a favourable barrier draw with Castafiore and had the field chasing her from the outset over the 1670m trip.
Coming up
Tonight: Ballarat (n).
Tomorrow: Melton (n).
Sunday: Ouyen (d).
Monday: Yarra Valley (d).
Tuesday: Terang (n).
Wednesday: Melton (d), Echuca (n).
Thursday: Maryborough (d), Mildura (n).