IT FELT like Christmas had come early for Havelock's Derrick Kraft at Lord's Raceway on Thursday night.
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The veteran driver was able to celebrate a rare quinella, when a pair of horses trained by his wife Noela - Our Pontiac and Blissfull Penny - finished one-two in the opening race.
It did not matter that Kraft, who will turn 78 this Christmas Day, was relegated into second placing on Blissfull Penny, leaving star youngster James Herbertson to claim the winning drive on Our Pontiac.
A quinella either way or a win on its own would have sufficed after his horses survived a drama-filled event.
"That was beautiful ... Christmas came early," Krafft said.
"I was confident if we could both get into a good spot, we could be fighting out the finish and that's how it worked out.
"I got into the one out one back and he got into the one out two back and then a bit of a disaster happened out of the straight .- we nearly had a crash.
"The horses in front of us, one behind the leader and one in the death (Gilded and Nikita Adele), they locked wheels and I nearly went over the top of them.
"Lucky I got off at the right time and when I did, (James) was caught three-wide, so he just decided to take off.
"Once he got to the front I thought no one's going to catch him, but I nearly beat him. I was wearing him down."
The official margin was 1.2m with Our Pontiac - a nine-year-old gelding - claiming his 12th career win at start number 155.
Without a win since Our Pontiac's victory at Bendigo on October 20, Krafft headed to Lord's Raceway with an inkling the stable's luck was about to change.
"I only said to Noela a few days ago we were due for a winner. We always get a winner near Christmas because my birthday is on Christmas Day," he said.
"So I said, we're getting pretty close.
"I hope there's another before then, both horses are going really well."
Krafft might well get his Christmas wish, with Our Pontiac and Blissfull Penny likely to be back in action at Lord's Raceway on Christmas Eve.
Meanwhile, Carisbrook trainer Brett Shipway made it two winners for the night from the Maryborough district when Peter Sanderson steered Louieville Lass to victory in the final race of the program, the NR up to 47 trot.
Sanderson was able to push the five-year-old mare to the front early and dictated proceedings on the way to a 1.4m win over the fast-finishing Mystic Chip (Glenn Sharp), with Ima Calvert Rose (Ray Cross) back in third.
A luckless Mystic Chip had to settle for second placing for the fifth time in eight starts, including her last three, and must surely be closing in on a seventh career win.
Louisville Lass, who won for the first time in 17 starts, dating back to June, was dropping back in class after last month contesting the Breeders Crown Graduate Trot at Group 3 level and always looked well-placed to end her run of outs.
"She tries hard and is good out in front. She had been going pretty good actually but in better company. She appreciated racing against those (horses) again," Sanderson said.
"All (Brett Shipway's) horses are pretty happy, they spend a fair bit of time out in the paddock.
"He does a good job, Shippy. They trot good and they're always well mannered and he can keep them up for a long time.
"They do their fair share (of work at home), without going over the top. He's got the right combination and knows what he's doing."
The win boosted Shipway's win tally for the season to 10 wins and was a sixth career victory for Louieville Lass from 89 starts.
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