Great day: Kyabram owner Sue Finn with Hanover Starzzz after her win in the Happy Birthday Tony Goodchild Pace. She is with Michelle and Mark Watson (trainer), along with driver Jack Laugher.
Stanhope trainer driver Gary Pekin ended the Echuca Harness Racing Club’s Caledonian Hotel Easter Cup meeting in sensational fashion — winning the last two events and matching Jack Laugher’s driving double from earlier in the evening.
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Pekin only had the two starters on the program and had to wait until 9.22pm when Cresco Goldigger was sent out a $6.50 chance.
Both his winners on the evening, Cresco Goldigger and So She Said, upset red-hot favourites in their respective events.
Cresco Goldigger was having his 40th race start, having won a month ago at Albury as a $9 shot. Not only does Pekin train but also drives the gelding,
The six-year-old gelding’s half neck defeat of $1.80 favourite Wemade Freo was the first part of a winning double for the 60-year-old trainer driver — fresh from a winner at Shepparton only five days earlier.
Pekin then created a late-night sensation when he had a similarly tight finish in the last race with So She Said.
So She Said, a four-year-old mare having her 12th race start, beat $1.45 favourite Polly Peachum to claim the Arch Electrical Group Pace.
It was a night favourite backers would rather forget, only $2.30 favourite Zach Lowe — trained by Graham Moon — saluting on Sunday evening.
Kyabram-trained, and-part owned, Hanover Starzzz won the fourth event as a $7.50 chance, the mare’s third win in its 20th start
Trained by Mark Watson, it was a special moment for Sue Finn, a long-time owner who connected with Watson for the first time with Hanover Starzzz.
Watson’s wife, Michelle, said the owners had been really patient with the horse, who had been lightly raced due to complications.
Mrs Finn said connections were not that confident going into the race, which was being used more as a trial for the mare.
Memorial moment: Dorothy Evans (second from left), and her daughter Wendy, with Echuca Harness Racing Club president Shane Gloury and Judy Bourke (right), owner of the Noel Evans Memorial Trot winner Starlight Red.
It completed a winning double for driver Jack Laugher, who also won on Ozzie Sweet Pea in the opening race.
A feature event on the program was the Noel Evans Memorial Trot, named in honour of the prominent Echuca trainer.
Noel’s wife, Dorothy, and daughter Wendy were at the event to see Starlight Red take the rize in her 99th race start.
It was Starlight Red’s 10th race win and took its prizemoney beyond $70,000.
Sunday evening’s running of the memorial event was the second staging of the race, named in honour of the 10-year committeeman.
Evans only trained a small team, with his wife also a trainer.
“James Armagh was the best of them,” she said, explaining that the former harness racing star was a winner at the opening night of racing at Moonee Valley in 1976.
“We also had Alvin Purple, who was a handy horse before he was affected by a bout of Ross River Fever.
Noel Evans died three years in June.
The feature event, the Caledonian Hotel Easter Cup, was won by Celestial Trekker.
In keeping with the theme of the evening the nine-year-old gelding won the race ahead of a $1.75 favourite Madam Reactor — trained by Frank Barac.
Celestial Trekker was having his 76th race start and registered his 11th career win, three of those coming in the last month.
