A BRILLIANT month of May has Julie Douglas firmly entrenched as one of the state's leading harness racing trainers.
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The Strathfieldsaye trainer has notched up a prolific 14 wins during May, helping propel her to second place on the state trainers' premiership with 54 wins for the season, a margin of only four behind the powerful Emma Stewart stable (58).
Fellow Bendigo trainer, Shelbourne's Kate Hargreaves sits fourth on the trainers' standings with an even 50 wins.
An ultra-productive month for Douglas gathered incredible momentum last week with a haul of five winners at Mildura last Friday night, led by another dazzling performance by Bernie Winkle.
It followed a double the previous night at Echuca with Ozzie Joy and Van Niekirk and a win earlier in the week at Bendigo with Major Mike.
Douglas just missed out on adding to her terrific total on a huge night of racing at Tabcorp Park Melton last Saturday night - highlighted by four Group 1 races and a pair of Group 2s - with the four-year-old gelding Would You Mind narrowly beaten into second place behind Itzamajor Surprise and Im No Outlaw having to settle for third a race later behind the Kima Frenning-trained Yorkshire.
As it has been for many Bendigo region trainers and drivers in recent times, Mildura continues to be a happy hunting ground for Douglas.
Last week's batch of five winners came on top of a treble earlier in the month (May 7) with Junior Feelgood, Bernie Winkle and Onedin Punter and another to the end the month of April with Freddiesam, Bernie Winkle and Junior Feelgood.
Without a starter in the opening three races on the card last Friday, Douglas was quick to strike with her first runner for the night when Hayden Bromac made it back-to-back victories in the NR62 to 75 pace.
The ever-improving four-year-old has peeled off five wins and three placings in eight starts since his arrival from New Zealand earlier in the year, with one of his placings in the E.K. Bray Country Clubs Pace Final at Melton on May 8.
He followed that performance with a win at Swan Hill before making it two-on-the-trot at Mildura.
Douglas' run continued with a victory to Onedin Punter, the six-year-old gelding's third win from his past four starts, all three of them at Mildura.
Next cab off the rank was the eight-year-old Carload, before the 'King of Mildura' unleashed another dazzling performance, coming from four-wide in the back straight to wear down the Boris Devcic-trained Velos Equus in the run to the post, to rack up his 27th win at Mildura from 48 starts.
The eight-year-old gelding has won 23 times in 37 starts at Mildura since April 24 last year. Only twice has he missed a place on his favourite track in that time.
Douglas scored the fifth of her wins courtesy of Starvin Marvin in the three-year-old pace.
Three of the stable's five winners (Hayden Bromac, Onedin Punter and Starvin Marvin) were driven by Bendigo reinsman Jack Laugher, who continues the lead the state driver's premiership on 85.
Jordan Leedham collected the win on Carload, while Bendigo's Ellen Tormey continued her great association with Bernie Winkle by adding another win behind the son of Rock N Roll Heaven.
Tormey has driven Bernie Winkle in all but two of his past 18 runs for a record of 10 wins, two seconds and three thirds.
State trainers' premiership: Emma Stewart (58 wins); Julie Douglas (54); Andy Gath (52); Kate Hargreaves (50); Anthony Butt-Sonya Smith (40); Chris Svanosio (31).
State drivers' premiership: Jack Laugher (85 wins); Greg Sugars (84); Kate Gath (82); Chris Alford (67); James Herbertson (64); Michael Bellman (63); Jason Lee (48); Ellen Tormey (45); Alex Ashwood (41).
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