A NIGHT dedicated to raising funds and awareness of ovarian cancer at Lord’s Raceway ended in a teal celebration on Thursday.
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With female drivers across Australia and New Zealand wearing coloured pants from February 1 to March 10 in support of the Team Teal campaign, three reinswomen picked up wins to help raise valuable funds for the Women’s Cancer Foundation (WCF).
Kate Gath, who in December became the first reinswoman to win the Inter Dominion Trotting Final, got the ball rolling with a win aboard $1.60 favourite Moonlight Dream in the opening heat of the Lyn McPherson Memorial Breed for Speed Silver Series, a race series named in honour of the late wife of Team Teal co-founder Duncan McPherson.
She was followed into the winners’ circle by Olivia Weidenbach, who notched a win in her first official race drive aboard Smart Little Shard ($140).
The treble was completed later in the evening when Heathcote driver Shannon O’Sullivan partnered the Martin Zerafa-trained Son of Major ($9.70) to victory in a class one pace.
For O’Sullivan, who first donned the coloured pants five years ago in pony trots and this year is a Team Teal junior ambassador, it was her first win against the senior drivers as part of the initiative and a proud moment.
“I thought I had the race (won) coming into the straight, but going across the line I was over the moon,” she said.
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“The first thing I said when someone congratulated me after the race was ‘I got one for Team Teal’. I was ecstatic to finally get one.
“It’s really a privilege to be chosen as an ambassador and for me to give my all to the role, and promoting the sport as well.
“It was great to see the girls rocking the teal pants and getting winners and giving the boys a run for their money.”
The win was O’Sullivan’s second aboard Son of Major in three drives. The pair previously won at Tabcorp Park Melton on January 21.
She will have two drives at Melton on Saturday night, including Miss Fisher in a T1-T2 trot event.
O’Sullivan said she was particularly stoked for 17-year-old Weidenbach, who won on a debut with the John Nicholson-trained pacer Smart Little Shard, who stretched his winning streak to three following wins at Melton and Cranbourne.
“She did the pony trots with me and is a really lovely girl. It was great to see her getting on the track and driving a nice horse to get a winner with her first drive,” she said.
“She did a great job – it is a big jump from trials to races, but she handled it really well.
“It was a really proud moment to see another pony trots girl come through the ranks and drive her first winner.”
With the Bendigo Greyhound Racing Association agreeing to match the TAB and Harness Racing Victoria’s $200 donation per female-driven winner, and a group of Bendigo businesses and the Bendigo Harness Racing Club also pledging contributions, each winner on Thursday night raised $900 for the (WCF).
Moonlight’s Dream fighting 1650m win was the seventh this campaign in the teal colours for senior ambassador Gath.
The champion reinswoman was quick to acknowledge the Bendigo support of Team Teal post-race.
“It’s a real credit to the businesses here who have donated and to Duncan McPherson in getting the ball rolling,” she said.
“It so thoughtful of these businesses to donate – it’s amazing how people can just get behind such a great cause.
“The money we raise here (in Victoria) is right up there. It’s something that does not get a lot of government funding, but ovarian cancer has such a terrible mortality rate.
“It’s important we raise these funds and in particular raise awareness so that we hopefully one day find a cure for it.”
Racing-wise, Gath was encouraged by the performance of Moonlight Dream and believed a big race win was not too far off of for the four-year-old mare by US sire Angus Hall.
“She’s won eight races now and a good bit of money and was just beaten in the Oaks (last June) and been second in a few feature races – it would be nice to win one of them soon,” she said.
“She’s a lovely horse, who we’d be glad to have a stable full of.
“As a three-year-old she was not far off the best ones. This time in she probably hasn’t won as many races but she is a horse who can run even time the whole way.
“Tonight I was quite happy she could burn out of the gate – and then they walked and she had to dash again at the finish. To do that and win was a good effort.”
Anton Golino took the training honours with four winners, including the smart mare Dance Craze, Mataderos, Sounds of Terror and Chateaubriant.
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