The way the winners kept rolling in suggested home track advantage may have played a big part in yesterday’s Gore Summer Cup day.
Gore trainers punched well above their weight of numbers when producing seven of the meeting’s 12 winners.
The Gore Harness Racing Club’s head honchos got in on the winning action with both president Chris Wilson and vice president Kirsty Adams preparing winners.
Adams put her frustrations with Quercus Rubra well and truly behind her when the mare produced a faultless display to win.
Quercus Rubra’s previous naughty behaviour meant the mare had to trial satisfactorily three days prior to the Gore meeting to be allowed to start.
The four-year-old was perfect in her trial and replicated that to win in a close finish with runner-up Dignify.
“I’m absolutely rapt, it was a great win,” Adams said.
“It’s actually been a long time coming, she’s just had a few runs where things haven’t gone her way or the temper tantrums have got in the way.”
“But she put it all together today.”
Robyns Art also scored a thoroughly deserved win for Chris Wilson, who owns and trains the pacer in partnership with his father Ross.
Last month the horse was wiped out in a race at Riverton with driver Max Hill sent catapulting through the air and Robyns Art getting away driverless for some distance.
The pair have stayed together in two starts since but they haven’t enjoyed much luck in the running.
But it all changed yesterday when Hill produced a patient steer to win with the four-year-old.
“You can’t beat winning on your home track – it’s a great feeling,” Chris Wilson said.
Hill landed a one-one sit for Robyns Art before extricating him in the home straight to allow the pacer to go on to score.
“Max is a good driver, he just does everything you ask him,” Wilson said.
“He never panics in a race, he’s got a good head on him so he should be getting more drives.”
A third committee member produced a winner with John Ryan producing Imperial Lad to score.
Vanessa Marie (Robin Swain), Bowlem Over (Robin Swain), Superfast (Brian Norman) and Sweet Southern Lass (Tony Stratford) also notched wins for Gore trainers yesterday.
Trainer-driver Craig Ferguson reached a personal milestone when producing Da Vinci to win the Gore Summer Cup.
The pacer brought up Ferguson’s 100th win as a trainer when he powered home from off the pace to score.
“It was great to get the 100th winner today and great to get it in a cup,” Ferguson said.
“He is really fast, we were getting a long way back there so I was hoping for a bit of a cart into it.”
“He still had a bit of an ask at the top of the straight but he really dug in.”
The Gore Summer Trotters Cup was taken out by key Ferguson stable team member Mark Hurrell who also drove Willangus Lad to win for trainer Robert Wilson.
By Jonny Turner, Source: Harness Racing NZ