A BRILLIANT Victorian Team Teal campaign has been powered by some sensational performances by Bendigo harness racing participants.
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The state's female drivers clocked up a prolific 117 wns during the campaign, which ran from February 1 to March 15.
That tally saw Harness Racing Victoria and the TAB donate $46,800 to help WomenCan support women with ovarian cancer.
The charge was led by Heathcote's Tayla French, who led all drivers with a massive 22 wins during the campaign.
The 24-year-old kicked-off the campaign with a double on opening night at Mildura and hit the top of the leaderboard the following day with a victory at Cobram.
It was there she stayed, racking up the victories at a steady clip.
French, whose previous best Team Teal haul was three winners, was even able to add one to the Tasmanian total with her win at Carrick aboard Lorimermajor on March 6.
READ MORE: Tayla sparkles in teal
After topping the leaderboard last year, fellow Bendigo driver Ellen Tormey backed-up by scoring the third most number of wins with 13, just three behind champion driver and campaign ambassador Kate Gath (16).
Other campaign ambassadors Jackie Barker and Kerryn Manning notched up 11 and eight winners respectively, with two of Barker's coming on Birchip Cup day last Sunday.
Charlton's Denbeigh Wade, who last month reached 100 career wins, had three Team Teal winners, while Heathcote's Shannon O'Sullivan added one with her win on Neanger Guy at Bendigo on March 9.
Tormey finished off her campaign nicely, adding a metro win at Melton on Saturday night aboard the Carla Innes-Goodridge-trained Zarem, before rounding a good weekend off with a victory on Miss Artemis at Wangaratta on Sunday night.
Speaking on 3AW this week, Team Teal founder Duncan McPherson OAM praised the performance of female drivers across Australia and New Zealand and reiterated why continuing to raise the profile of ovarian cancer awareness was so important.
"The symptoms are often misdiagnosed and that is why we are raising awareness in this broader Australian and New Zealand and global community" said McPherson, who lost his wife Lyn to ovarian cancer in 2010.
READ MORE: Team Teal driving a crucial message
"There are a number of conditions that may cause similar symptoms to these and they can include abdominal bloating, back pain, frequent urination, or feeling full after meals when you haven't quite had enough to eat.
"They are basic symptoms that a lot of women go through and don't regard themselves as potential liabilities to this insidious disease.
"There is no test available to us to detect whether a woman has ovarian cancer or not. The myth of a pap smear (detecting cancer) is exactly that.
"Forty-eight per cent of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer only have a survival rate of five years.
"We raise funds and awareness in New Zealand and unfortunately the statistic in New Zealand is even grimmer. Only 37 per cent of women in New Zealand survive five years."
The campaign, which has run for 13 years, expanded from harness racing in Victoria to New South Wales in 2016, to harness racing in all Australian states in 2017 and internationally to harness racing in New Zealand in 2018.
While the campaign has ended for another year, French and Tormey continued their amazing form with a double apiece at Tuesday night's meeting at Mildura.
French scored wins on Miss Social Media and Bobsled Boy for trainer Alex Ashwood, who finished the night with a training treble, after he steered home Loyola Golf in the fourth race.
Miss Social Media, a seven-year-old mare, has now won five of nine starts this season, and only missed a placing once.
Tormey's dual success on Lady Pebbles and Blazin Beauty gave Sunraysia trainer Scott Garraway a double on the night.
There was also driving success for Lockwood South freelance driver Neil McCallum, who denied the Ashwood-French combination another win with Magic Feeling, by landing a victory on Trebek for young Mildura trainer Lachlan Prothero.
Earlier on Wednesday, veteran Bet Bet trainer Ray Cross scored a double at Maryborough with wins to Countess Chiron and Jessicas Story.
There is no test available to us to detect whether a woman has ovarian cancer or not. The myth of a pap smear (detecting cancer) is exactly that.
- Duncan McPherson OAM
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