SHELBOURNE reinsman Alex Ashwood snared the driving honours as Bendigo region drivers and trainers went on a winning spree at Mildura on Tuesday night.
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On a night when eight of the 12 winning horses were piloted by Bendigo region drivers, Ashwood shone the brightest with a treble.
Ellen Tormey was not far behind with a double, while Rod Lakey, Jayden Brewin and Jordan Leedham all recorded singles.
There was success too for the region's trainers, with Glenn Douglas scoring a win with the five-year-old mare Selaphobia, Kate Hargreaves adding her 13th winner for the new season with Wow You Can Dance, and Julie Douglas notching her 11th following an impressive in the night's fast class race with Pembrook Charlie.
It was a 10th career win for Pembrook Charlie, the five-year-old son of Sportswriter, who boosted his City Oval Paceway record to five wins from seven starts, and has won four of his last six starts overall.
Another big haul in the sulky for Ashwood included a double for Merbein South trainer Terry Gange with Mister Jimaringle and His A Dreamer and one for Jake Webster aboard A Good Knight.
The former Tasmanian's wins with A Good Knight and His A Dreamer came at opposite ends of the meeting in races one and 12 respectively.
Full of praise for Ashwood, Gange said his recent association with the young driver had 'energised' his small team of horses.
"What we like about him is that he comes back after the race and gives you plenty of feedback," he said.
"He's a very clever horseman, as you would expect with the wins he's been putting on the board.
"He told me last time Mister Jimaringle is ducking in a little bit, you might want to try putting the rein to this side.
"We trainers are never too old not to learn and we enjoy that about Alex."
Gange believed Ashwood was at his best aboard His A Dreamer, a former high-priced yearling, who broke his maiden at start number 27, with a surprise and convincing 18m win.
"He was a $100,000 yearling, who has a heap of issues," he said.
"I've been in racing probably 35 years or more and he has been the biggest work in progress I have ever taken on.
"I didn't have him early in his career, but I'm not exaggerating, I didn't think he would ever win a race.
"He's got stifling issues and he's sore in the sciatica.
"I actually took him down to Bendigo a couple of weeks ago to Tony Dillon to shoe him - Tony's very good. That helped him immensely.
"He still has his issues, but he had that big dash at the end and he went really well for Albie (Ashwood).
"We use to have Albie years ago when he first did a shift at Shelbourne and then everyone else jumped on board, so we couldn't get him, but really enjoying the association now. He drove Mr Jimaringle really well.
"He (Mr Jimaringle) can be a tricky customer, he's an absolute brat of a horse, but he has heaps of ability."
A model of consistency, the four-year-old gelding has won four races and been placed 18 times in 38 starts and has only three times finished outside a top three placing in his last 13 runs and never further back than fifth.
Ashwood's treble was his first since the November 26 meeting at Mildura last year.
A double for Tormey continued a purple patch during February.
The Junortoun-based trainer-driver has driven eight winners this month, including four since her Ararat Trotters Cup win aboard Well Defined last Friday.
Her Mildura double included wins for Glenn Douglas on Selaphobia and Irymple trainer Scott Garraway with Glam Rock.
Tormey was unlucky not to finish with a treble after being beaten into second place in the NR 56 to 60 on Sheer Modern by the Kate Attard-trained Tossup, who was driven by Jayden Brewin.
Cup chances
Fresh from their respective big wins in last Friday's Ararat pacing and trotting cups, Zadaka and Well Defined will back up in this Saturday night's Terang cups.
Pacing cup winner Zadaka, who is trained at Charlton by Greg Norman, has drawn barrier five in the big field of 13, which is dominated by Emma Stewart and David Aiken-trained runners.
Zadaka, an eight-year-old gelding and winner of 12 of his 73 career starts, will regain the services of champion driver Kerryn Manning, after he was partnered to victory at Ararat by Jodi Quinlan.
Further local interest in the race will be provided by Mister Wickham, who is trained at Romsey by Chris Svanosio.
Svanosio, who notched Group 1 driving success last Saturday night in The Knight Pistol aboard the Rickie Alchin-trained Tough Monarch, previously trained in Bendigo.
The pacing cup is a Group 2 event worth $50,000.
Meanwhile, the Hargreaves-trained Well Defined will start from barrier four in the Group 3 trotters cup worth $25,000.
The six-year-old gelding will again be driven by Ellen Tormey and will have seven rivals, headed by Group 1-winners McLovin and Pink Galahas.
The much-improved Svanosio-trained trotter Dels Destiny will be chasing his fourth consecutive win and has drawn the pole.
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