JUNORTOUN trainer Gary Donaldson has continued one of the best winning runs of his career with Skyeski giving the stable its sixth winner from its last 11 starters on Wednesday night.
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The well-bred mare continued her consistent form to bring up win number five at race start number 33, after a strong drive from Rodney Petroff at Swan Hill.
Skeyski, whose formline includes 11 minor placings, has shown a distinct liking for the Swan Hill track, notching up two wins from three starts at the venue.
In a testament to the abilities of both horse and trainer, Skeyski has finished outside the top three in her races only once in her last 11 starts, dating back to August last year.
The mare's win came hot on the heels of that of Flaming Five for Donaldson at Kilmore last Sunday.
"I have some pretty nice horses on some loose marks - they are just starting out at the moment," the 30-year trainer said.
"If you can get a few of those together you can generally get a bit of a run on."
Donaldson's hot form has contributed to a purple patch for trainers across the Bendigo region in recent weeks.
Barely a meeting has passed in recent times without at least one Bendigo-prepared horse emerging with a win.
That trend continued on Wednesday when Strathfieldsaye trainer Glenn Douglas scored a win in a heat of the Northern region Championship with Artistic Saint at Swan Hill, while at Maryborough earlier in the day, Marong's Col Letter and veteran Sutton Grange trainer Graeme Dalton picked up respective wins with I Am Marquez and Bad Boy Jay Jay.
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Acknowledging it had made his task of finding winners tougher, Donaldson said he was pleased to see so many winners being produced from Bendigo.
"We had a bit of a lull for a few years, but it's back to where it was back in the glory days in the 90s," he said.
"We have great training facilities here and have had a few new trainers move in like Todd Matthews and Chris Svanosio, who has a great team of horses going well, and Ellen Tormey.
"We have had a lot of young trainers come to Bendigo in the last few years too and build up good teams of horses.
"It's great to see and certainly keeps us older guys on our toes. We have to keep up with the young kids, they have a lot more energy than us guys who have been around a long time."
Donaldson was especially pleased for the wide-ownership group involved with Skyeski, which includes members of the Bendigo Pacers 1 and Bendigo Pacers 2 syndicate, who have four horses in total with the trainer.
Two of those - Skyeski and Rocks Arnt Pets, who finished second in a three-year-old pace at Swan Hill on Anzac Day at his last start - will run at Bendigo this Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Donaldson confirmed his popular five-year-old pacer Live Like A Royal had recently been sold to Western Australian interests.
The mare won notoriety for her brave comeback to racing after she was the victim of an accident involving a motor vehicle on the McIvor Highway last April.
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Live Like Royal won four of her 17 starts after her comeback, including her final two races for Donaldson at Swan Hill (April 25) and Mildura (May 3).
The mare has been transferred into the Narrogin-based stable of former AFL footballer Nathan Turvey, who played 10 games with Hawthorn in 1998-99, before continuing his career in the SANFL and WAFL.
"I would have liked to have kept her and there was probably a few more wins left in her for me, but we got a good price for her," he said.
"I know a lot of people read the story (about Live Like A Royal) and always ask me about her.
"People wanting to follow her will now need to look at the Gloucester Park fields in Perth."
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