Star concession reinsperson Samanatha Pascoe drove a winning double for the third straight South Australian harness meeting.
Pascoe’s winning run started on Saturday, July 29 when she was successful on Joonior Brown, which she trains herself, and the Aaron Bain-trained American Beauty.
Then on Monday, July 31, My Golden Eagle, which she trains won well and the double came up on Shazzam for Kudla trainer Jeremy Seal.
Pascoe was quick to keep her double run going on Sunday at Globe Derby Park.
She partnered Secret Operation in the opening event, The TAB Venue Mode Claiming Pace (1800m) for Globe Derby Park trainer David Harding.
Secret Operation ($3.80) came wide for the last lap to score by two metres from Secret Jack ($11) from the Two Wells stable of Shane Loone. Third home, a metre away, was Miso Miso ($126), trained in Mallala by Mario Borg.
Winning trainer David Harding said Secret Operation was “a thinker.”
“I have to keep changing his gear,” Harding said. “He has the ability but gets comfortable within himself if things don’t change.
“So, I try and alter his head gear every race or so to give him something to think about.”
Race two was The Globe Bar & Gaming Pace (2230m) and Pascoe again partnered Shazzam on which she had won on Monday.
Coming from gate seven, the outside of the front row, Pascoe eased back on Shazzam and was able to drop in three back on the fence.
The five-year-old travelled well, then came through along the sprint lane in the home straight with great acceleration to dash through and win by 4-1/2 metres.
Shazzam ($6) defeated pacemaker Whata Optimist ($2.80 fav.) with Carly Morgan ($8) running on well for third, two metres away, for Reeves Plains trainer-driver Ryan Hryhorec.
Pascoe explained she was happy to take a calculated gamble by going to the fence early in the race.’
“It is the quickest way home,” Pascoe said.
“Shazzam has a really quick sprint, so it was just going to be a matter of obtaining a run.
“I find in the 2230 metre races that gaps do come late when some of the horses can get tired.”
Pascoe also rebuked this author when I said she was “on fire.”
“When someone says that is normally enough to extinguish the fire,” she said.
Pascoe, who works for Aaron Bain at Gawler, and also trains a team of horses at her mother’s Birdwood property, recently became engaged to fellow reinsman Wayne Hill.
Hill chipped in for a winner on the talented squaregaiter Lovelorn for Penfield trainer Jill Neilson in the Eco-Wise Plumbing Group Trotters Handicap (2230m).
The rangy five-year-old began well from his 10-metre handicap and Hill had no hesitation in allowing Lovelorn to trot around and take up the lead.
Once in front, Lovelorn ($3.80) was always going to be hard to catch and so it proved with him winning by metres from the fast-finishing Millys Magic ($8), trained by Claire Goble at Wasleys.
Hill is currently second the SA Drivers premiership behind his sister Danielle but as she is sidelined for an indefinite period of time following back surgery, it is only a matter of time before he takes the lead.
Two Wells trainer Shane Loone, the premier trainer in 2022, provided the quinella in the North East Group Pace (1800m).
Pay Me Interest, backed from $14 into $6.50, finished best to win by 2-1/2 metres from stablemate Celestial Daybreak ($5) which had led, with the well backed $2.40 fav., Come On Sloopy, a half-metre away third.
Pay Me Interest was driven by Michael Smith who brought up a double, having won earlier in the night on Reign Shadow for Murray Bridge trainer Alan Cronin.
Smith made it a treble later in the evening scoring on Lap Of Honour for trainer Chris Neilson, son of Jill who had won with Lovelorn.
