IF TERRY French scores a win with Joeys Hangover, you can almost assume further success at the racetrack is not too far away for the Heathcote trainer.
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The six-year-old gelding has proven somewhat of a barometer for success for the French stable this season.
At Yarra Valley on Thursday, Joeys Hangover notched up his fourth win of the season.
More intriguingly, it was the third time in 2021 he has formed part of a winning double for French and his driving daughter Tayla.
The son of Well Said and Without Guile, who has been with the Frenches for all but the first 10 of his 122 career starts for 12 wins and 22 placings, opened the season in style with a win at Cranbourne on January 7, on the same day his stable-mate Hard Rock Shannon won.
His third win of the season came at Shepparton on August 15, just two races after the five-year-old mare Havana saluted.
Roughly two-hours after collecting his fourth win of the season, Joeys Hangover was joined in the winner's stall by Another Sparky, who made it back-to-back wins following his success at Wedderburn last Sunday.
Remarkably, it wasn't the first time Another Sparky has featured in a race-day double for the stable in 2021.
The six-year-old gelding, who has won four of 22 starts and been placed five times this season, won on May 7 at Mildura, where he formed part of a double alongside Tropical Storm.
Terry French rated Joeys Hangover's upset win over the short-priced Fly Like An Angel ($1.90 favourite) as a real surprise, but was far more confident with Another Sparky following a top effort at Wedderburn.
"But we'll take a double when we can. He's been a ripper, Joeys Hangover. He cost me $1000 and now he's won 12 (races)," he said.
"And there's plenty left in him, down around that class.
"He'll probably win another one and then miss out for five or six and get back into a winnable class again.
"The rating system has been good for him - I don't think he's gone higher than a 56 or 57-rater."
French believes there are more wins in-store too for Another Sparky, who had 77 starts for Junortoun trainer Trevor Monk, before making his way to Heathcote.
His last 19 runs have produced four wins and five placings.
"When I got him he had been in work for about 18 months, full-on, and we won two with him in a three-month period," he said.
"But you could just see signs of him having had enough, so I gave just the three weeks off, and he's had three starts in five weeks since coming back for two wins and he's going better than ever.
"The run at Wedderburn was huge, and yesterday (Thursday) he worked just as hard. They went 1.57 and he did all the work, but he was able to hold (Sonnys Amazing) out."
A driving double for Tayla French at Yarra Valley was her second this month following her success aboard Azza and Chapter One at the Saturday night metropolitan meeting held at Geelong on September 4.
It also gave her three wins from her last three drives after a win at Kilmore on Tuesday night with the Chris Svanosio-trained Benji Hall.
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