Zarem, Innes-Goodridge make the most of their luck at Melton

The Bendigo trainer was counting her blessings after watching a gap open up on the pegs and having her six-year-old trotter Zarem sneak through for his second Melton win at harness racing headquarters on Saturday night.

It was just the slice of luck Innes-Goodridge had been craving with the son of Wishing Stone and Broadacrossthebeam, who, despite rarely running a bad race, broke a 231-day win drought.

The same could be said about the trainer herself, who did it tough in the latter months of 2021 and the early part of 2022 after breaking her ankle in a freak training mishap.

"After I broke my ankle, the last five months has just been a real slog," Innes-Goodridge said.

"Even he (Zarem) has been having so much bad luck, it was just so good that it all turned around on Saturday night.

"The Red Sea opened up, that's what it was.

"He's just got that turn of foot that he can capitalise on something like that happening.

"That's what he loves, he's good when you take him off the gate and just snuggle him up somewhere.

"He's got a great turn of foot. Ellen (Tormey) said he actually got a little bit on the bit on Saturday night, which was good.

"He went well at Bendigo (last) Wednesday night, so his recent form has been okay.

"I wasn't shocked to know he hasn't won for about seven months as I have been counting them down. I was getting desperate, I hadn't won a race for a long time."

Zarem had nearly three months off from racing from November to January while Innes-Goodridge recuperated from her injury.

As if to reinforce the view that when you are out of luck, anything and everything can and will go wrong, a recent trip to Melton with Zaren ended with trainer and husband Dean breaking down on the way home.

The road to victory at Melton was a slow grind, with the opportunist trotter's previous eight starts this season producing only a pair of placings, two fourths and two fifths.

"He's a fat little horse and he just put on heaps of condition," the trainer said.

"We tried to race him into a bit of a condition, racing him up close, but we got a bit sick of going down to Melton, so we thought we'd back off him a bit for a few weeks and its just been the key to him, freshening him up in the head a bit."

"And Ellen, she just knows him so well, so it was good we had a bit of luck for a change."

That good fortune was certainly overdue after a long and stressful recovery from her broken ankle.

Zarem had nearly three months off from racing from November to January while Innes-Goodridge recuperated from her injury.

As if to reinforce the view that when you are out of luck, anything and everything can and will go wrong, a recent trip to Melton with Zaren ended with trainer and husband Dean breaking down on the way home.

The road to victory at Melton was a slow grind, with the opportunist trotter's previous eight starts this season producing only a pair of placings, two fourths and two fifths.

"He's a fat little horse and he just put on heaps of condition," the trainer said.

"We tried to race him into a bit of a condition, racing him up close, but we got a bit sick of going down to Melton, so we thought we'd back off him a bit for a few weeks and it's just been the key to him, freshening him up in the head a bit."

"And Ellen, she just knows him so well, so it was good we had a bit of luck for a change."

That good fortune was certainly overdue after a long and stressful recovery from her broken ankle.

Zarem, who scored his ninth career win in 75 starts and scooted past the $100,000 mark in earnings - $103,530 to be precise - was involved in the mishap that left Innes-Goodridge sidelined from mid-October and in a moon boot.

READ MORE: Zarem's luck turns with Melton win

"I was jogging one (horse) and leading Zarem and there was a lot of traffic, and when there's a lot of horses around, Zarem shows off a bit and prances and carries on," she said.

"But a plover swooped me and he just came on top of and dive-bombed him and he just went mental.

"He jumped up in the air and he jumped in the cart with me and the cart flipped over and my ankle hooked on the dust sheet. It hooked and turned me right around the other way.

"If I didn't have that dust sheet there I just would have fallen out and been okay, but I did.

"It's got screws and plates in it, but they've done a good job with it.

"Last night, I needed a pick me up and that was it."

Innes-Goodridge is now contemplating a start in this Sunday's $30,000 Group 2 Charlton Trotters Cup (2570m) with Zarem.

While it's a big step up in class, she believes there is plenty to be gained by the experience.

"He'll be off the front and he's good away, but he's just not experienced with traffic around him and that's why I put him off 50m and 30m," Innes-Goodridge said.

"But I think he's entitled to come off the front somewhere.

"It would be a good experience for him."

Tormey, currently placed among the top half-dozen drivers in the state, could not believe her luck when Chris Svanosio, aboard Benji Hall, shifted off the pegs on the home turn, allowing her a clear passage on the inside.

"It all worked out perfectly and that is the kind of run he loves, so it worked out just the way we wanted," she said.

"It's not really suited for him to come off the pegs because he can hang a little bit, but I was travelling well and everything in front of me wasn't really going anywhere.

"But when Chris decided to come off (the pegs) it was perfect."

Tormey praised a wonderful training performance.

"When they (the owners) gave the horse to Carla and Dean, I think they were happy to win a race and now he's won over $100,000," she said.

"He was known as a bit of a non-winner, but they have done a terrific job. I can't commend them enough.

"They've been very supportive of me and always put me back on if I have had to jump off. We've had a great relationship and they are lovely people to drive for - the whole family."

READ MORE: Dragonfly win worth the wait for Innes-Goodridge

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