Trump's trotting triumph a family affair for the Campbells

They've ridden the highs and lows that come with being part of the racing game, but no moment comes close to what they shared with their daughter Holi at Melton on Saturday night.

After two-and-a-half years on the sidelines, their trotter Sunofatrump produced a stunning first-up win in the final event of the night.

"Holi was crying first, Paul was overwhelmed as well and couldn't talk at the time...it was a wonderful moment for us,'' Maree said on Sunday.

As a family, Paul, Maree and Holi worked together to get the nine-year-old back to the track after they thought his racing days were numbered.

Sunofatrump had won six races for the stable between late 2014 and July, 2018, before a string of minor injuries forced Maree, Paul and the connections to pull the pin on his racing career.

"He was always hard to keep sound, you always had to stop and start with him,'' Maree said.

"It wasn't that he had one catastrophic injury, he just had a lot of minor issues and we decided it was probably best to retire him."

However, Sunofatrump is no ordinary standardbred.

"We'd retired this horse and he's such a beautiful natured horse, but he is a little bit mad and quirky,'' Maree said.

"He'd never bite or kick, but he has white line fever and he's a bit hyperactive. He likes interaction with humans and has to be doing something all the time."

That's where 14-year-old Holi, an outstanding young equestrian rider in her own right - comes in.

Sunofatrump has always been one of her favourite horses and to keep him active - physically and mentally - she started doing some dressage work and riding him over jumps.

The horse thrived. That extended to Holi doing monte work on Sunofatrump around their home track.

"About four or five months ago I was watching Holi riding him at home and I said to her that the horse was trotting better than he ever had,'' Maree said.

"That's why we decided to do somethig with him. We did long, slow work with him and after having that good, long spell he was sound as a bell and he developed a beautiful back end. As a younger horse he never had that strength behind.

"Holi was riding him and he loved doing some jumping and flat work. Because he is a bit quirky we took it in turns of driving him in his work and he kept improving."

Their patience, perseverance and pure love for the horse culminated in Saturday night's win.

Fittingly, champion driver Kerryn Manning - or Aunty Kerryn to Holi - produced a trademark brilliant drive to see Sunofatrump over the line and cap a moment the Campbell family will cherish forever.

"Paul and I have trained horses for a long time and we have a shared passion that brought us together,'' Maree said.

"We were never going to push Holi in the direction of harness racing. She loves the equine (industry), it doesn't matter what it is, but she has taken an interest in the sport.

"It's been a thrill to watch what Holi has been able to achieve. It was a team effort. It wasn't me training him or Paul training him...Holi did as much work as us.

"That's what made the win so special."

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