HE'S been dubbed the 'King of Mildura'.
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And Bernie Winkle's reign shows no sign of abating after collecting his 23rd win at the northern Victorian track during last week's three-night Mildura Pacing Cup Carnival.
The Julie Douglas-trained eight-year-old stamped himself as a COVID-19 sensation, racking up 16 wins in the 2020 calendar year - all of them at Mildura - with the bulk of them, including an incredible 10-straight, during the regional racing period.
The son of Rock N Roll Heaven and Dolly McD has not rested on his laurels, producing a further four wins from eight starts so far in 2021.
Bernie Winkle has raced an incredible 32 times since April 24 last year, with all but two of his runs being at the City Oval Paceway.
He was at it again last Saturday night, taking out the $10,000 Free For All on night three of the carnival, with the in-form Ellen Tormey in the sulky.
Tormey has driven Bernie Winkle in 11 of his 13 starts since December 2 for six wins and four placings and he has been one of the major contributors to her brilliant run this season, which has so far yielded 31 wins and eighth place on the state driver's premiership.
Three of those wins came during the Mildura Cup Carnival, including a victory in the $14,000 Mildura Trotters Cup with the Kate Hargreaves-trained Well Defined and another aboard Littlebitofmagic for her father and Charlton trainer John Tormey, both on night two.
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Tormey's drive on Bernie Winkle was a masterclass in patience, with the eight-year-old seemingly in plenty of trouble behind a wall of horses on the pegs at the 400m.
As his stable-mate Ozzie Battler and the Shane Sanderson-trained Dikerry battled it out in front, a gap presented for Tormey on the inside shortly after entering the straight and she was able to take full advantage by steering the gelding through to claim a narrow and exciting win.
Bernie Winkle stretched his season record to four wins and three placings from nine starts for earnings of $36,340 and his overall Mildura record to 23 wins and 11 placings from 45 starts.
"Around the turn I was thinking I am in a bit of trouble here, but luckily it (the gap) opened up," Tormey told Trots Vision.
"We just had to get some luck and we got it thank God."
Tormey conceded she did not think she was a winning chance until very late in the race.
"Not until we got the run in the straight .... down the back everyone was fanned out, if I stayed off the pegs I was probably going to have to come five and six wide," she said.
"It's impossible to do when they are running the times they do in this class of horse.
"We just had to risk and luckily it pulled off.
"He's just an old marvel of a horse, he's absolutely beautiful to drive and just gives his all every week.
"It was a different class of horse to what he usually races against at Mildura, but it was good to see he could still do it."
It's hard to fathom that Bernie Winkle - an eight-time Melton winner - had raced only 11 times at the City Oval Paceway before 2020 for three wins and three placings.
Tormey said the horse had certainly found his niche up north.
"He's always had that turn of foot that puts him in the right position," she said.
"During regional racing he came up here (to Mildura) and absolutely dominated, I think Eric has kept him here as he just knows how much he loves it.
"I suppose it's prolonged his career."
Last week's win took Bernie Winkle's career earnings to $409,477 and continued an outstanding season for the Douglas stable.
Julie Douglas is currently fifth in the state trainer's premiership with 32 winners, with Bernie Winkle forming part of a double on Friday night for the stable following success earlier on the program with Hayden Bromac.
Douglas notched up her sixth win of the month at Maryborough on Monday courtesy of Major Watson, who broke through for his fifth career win from 28 starts.
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