Sulky Shorts with Gus Underwood

It was the sixth successive win for Soho Historia, and Pitt expressed his delight in a rare show of emotion by saluting with the whip at the finishing line.

The last 800 metres was run in a blistering 55.7 seconds, including a 28.2 last quarter, in a 1.55.3 mile rate for the 2138m trip.

Soho Historia paid a handsome $7.50 for the win after punters had plumped for fellow Victorian Amore Vita, a $1.55 chance, who finished second, to win the race.

The win was the second of the meeting for Pitt, who earlier had steered another of the Stewart runners, Beyond Delight, to his 11th career win in just 22 starts.

Pitt drove another of the Stewart team, Like A Wildfire, in the $306,000 Blacks A Fake feature at the meeting and gave that pacer every chance in the run but had to be content with an eighth-place finish behind outsider Majestic Cruiser.

Legacy lives on

There was more than a touch of sadness associated with the result of a two-year-old trotters race at the Geelong meeting last Friday night.

First and third home in the race — Miss Francene and Moonwalka — are by new trotting sire on the blocks Centurion ATM, and were both bred by the late Ken Wills and his wife, Jan, formerly of Niota stud Girgarre.

Out of the unraced Straphanger mare Miss Sally and driven by David Jack, Miss Francene gave a flawless trotting display in a field of maiden two-year-old trotters to account for her stablemate Ess Kay Hollywood, giving Euroa horseman Cameron Maggs the quinella in the race.

Ess Kay Hollywood, whom Maggs drove, is by Creatine.

Moonwalka, a gelding who motored into third place, is out of the Majestic Son mare Savoie, and is her first foal.

Damian Burns, who has raced many of the Wills-bred horses over the years, trains and drives Moonwalka.

By the SJ’s Photo stallion SJ’s Cavier, Centurion ATM was a $1.288 milion money earner on the track. He has had just the seven foals of racing age — oldest now two-year-olds — to hit the tracks in Australia for three winners, so is obviously a stallion to watch.

Sheza winner

Group 1-winning trotting mare Sheza Pleasure made it two wins from four starts for new trainer David Aiken when she saluted at last week’s Shepparton meeting.

The four-year-old daughter of Bacardi Lindy, owned and bred by Dennis and Sharon Paton, was sent to the front from a wide front-row draw early by reinsman Josh Aiken and was never in danger of being run down over the 2190m trip in a slick 2.01.8 mile rate.

The in-form Mick Blackmore-trained Yankee Lover ran on well again for second while the other fancied runner, Monarch Stride, filled the minor placing.

The win was popular with punters, as Sheza Pleasure firmed to start a $2.80 favourite in a good field.

Sheza Pleasure won the Group 1 Platinum Home Grown Classic for two-year-old trotters in October 2020 when prepared by Denis Paton and has now collected six winner’s cheques from 27 career starts, which have also produced four minor placings.

Prior to joining the Aiken barn, Sheza Pleasure had five starts for Menangle trainer KerryAnn Morris, which produced three wins, two at Menangle and one in a heat of the Breeders Crown at Maryborough.

No debate, Turnbull’s on fire

Tatura North trainer Craig Turnbull has been on a hot run.

He produced a winning double at the Shepparton meeting last week, scoring with pacers Made To Rock and Smooth Debate.

And Made To Rock made it two wins in the space of six days when be buttered up for another win at Tuesday night’s Albury meeting.

The trainer’s daughter Abbey reined Made To Rock for both wins.

At Shepparton Made To Rock sat outside the pacemaker, Captain Maastricht, over the 1690m trip, surged to the front straightening to the run to the judge and then dug deep to hold off all rivals in a crowded finish in a PB 1.56.1 mile rate time for the 1690m trip.

NSW visitor Heston Zoolander and Captain Maastricht filled the minor placings.

It was Made To Rock’s sixth win with eight placings in 25 starts.

Turnbull completed the Shepparton double with Smooth Debate, who led throughout over the 1690m to score one of the easiest wins on the program. His mile rate of 1.55.1 for the 1690m trip was also the quickest for the meeting.

Smooth Debate was having just his third start for the Turnbulls but had won six races and was placed 10 times with racing stints initially in New Zealand and then Inter Dominion-winning trainer Jason Grimson in NSW.

Julie Douglas was another trainer who snared a double at the Shepparton meeting.

Douglas produced Platinum Prince and Renko for wins, both reined by concession reinsman Ryan Sanderson.

Venetian shows blinding pace

Shepparton trainer Steve Duffy has wasted no time in getting three-year-old pacer Venetian into the winner’s circle.

The Roll With Joe pacer was having just his second trip to the races when he scored at last week’s Shepparton meeting.

Venetian was given the run of the race by reinsman Leigh Sutton on the back of the pacemaker, the 150/1 shot Rollwithalady, who couldn’t hold off Venetian’s finishing burst when he got into clear running straightening for the run to the judge.

Venetian, who ran third on debut at the Cobram meeting on July 11 when beaten a short half head and a head, is out of the American Ideal mare Miss Marron and is only the second foal to race out of the mare.

Sutton was also in the winner’s circle at Wednesday night’s Echuca meeting, scoring on the Kent Harpley-prepared Bulldog Khan, a pacer he drove to victory two starts previously at Shepparton on June 29.

Perfect 10 for Junior

Consistent five-year-old-pacer Junior Warfare took the final of the Neatline Homes Pace final at last week’s Shepparton meeting.

After finishing fifth in his heat the Greg Lewis-trained son of Village Jolt was given the run of the race in the final by reinsman Brad Chisholm on the back of the pacemaker Hancocks Hero. He then held off the favourite, Milloo Gunslinger, with Hancocks Hero third home in the drive to the finishing line to record his 10th win from 76 starts. There are also 10 seconds and seven thirds in his resume.

Twenty-seven of his career starts have been this season and have produced five wins and six minor placings.

Berries gets the chocolates

Donna Castles has been doing it all her driving career and she did again at last week’s Shepparton meeting — saluting on a long-shot winner.

This time it was trotting mare Berriesandcherries who saluted for the Ardmona horsewoman, paying a handsome $13 for the win.

Castles gave the five-year-old daughter of Crazed a good trip three back in the running line and he finished strongly to account for Rockford Peach and Violetta Gift.

In notching her third race win from 21 starts, Berriesandcherries posted a PB mile rate of 2.03.7 for the 2190m trip from the mobile.

Heavensway is painful for punters

Goulburn Valley trainers Gary Pekin and Danny Ferris produced long-shot winners at Wednesday night’s Echuca meeting.

Pekin produced So She Said and Ferris Heavensway for wins, delivering knockout blows to most early quaddie punters.

So She Said paid $41 for the win and Heavensway $19, which were responsible for a handsome early quaddie dividend of $20,000 plus.

A four-year-old Rock N Roll Heaven gelding, Heavensway was given the run of the race by reinsman Jordan Chibnall on the back of the pacemaker Devil Of A Smile and sprint-laned to win in only the pacer’s eighth trip to races, which had at one stage produced four successive sixth placings.

If your early quaddie ticket wasn’t dead after Heavensway’s win it was a good chance it was after the following race when the Pekin-trained and driven So She Said got up to beat the Echuca-trained Dallas Patrick and the favourite Nobbys Clock in a busy finish.

It was So She Said’s third career win — there have also been four minor placings — from 21 career starts.

Veteran turns back the clock

Shepparton-trained pacer Here He Comes took his prizemoney earnings over the $150,000 mark when he saluted at the Echuca meeting.

The Steve O’Donoghue-Bec Bartley Art Major nine-year-old scored one of the easiest wins on the program in accounting for runner-up Sweet Creation by nearly 15 metres in his 109th trip to the races.

As well as 12 wins, Here He Comes has chalked up another 29 top-three finishes in his career in which he started in the O’Donoghue barn and will end there when his racing career is over.

Aristotle has it all figured out

Smart trotter Aristotle looked one of the best bets on the Echuca program and it turned out that way.

The five-year-old son of Orlando Vici gave his backers an early scare when he broke for a few strides early but he regained his gait and composure quickly and when let loose by reinswoman Laura Crossland 500 metres from home quickly put paid to his rivals.

It completed successive wins for the Damian Wilson-trained five-year-old, who had saluted at his previous start at Kilmore on July 14 when he was also a dominant winner.

Aristotle has had just the seven starts, which have produced two wins and three placings, so looks a promising type despite a late start to racing.

Save the date

Shepparton Harness Racing Club stages its next meeting on Tuesday night.