STAR Bendigo reinsman Jack Laugher has taken his affinity for the tight Mildura circuit to another level by setting a new record for the most wins by a driver in a single meeting at the Sunraysia track.
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The 23-year-old steered home an astonishing seven winners on Friday night's program at the City Oval Paceway.
He capped a stellar night with a second and a third in the middle part of the program.
Only once in his 11 drives for the night did he finish outside the top four.
His remarkable haul ensured Laugher celebrated another important milestone, with his seven winners taking him to 500 career winners.
Four of Laugher's winners, including his first for the night on Gojoe, were for Strathfieldsaye trainer Julie Douglas, who on Friday night became the first Victorian trainer to pass 100 wins for the season.
Laugher and Douglas' prolific partnership produced further wins with Ozzie Battler, Amillion Promises and Rockybomba.
His three other wins were for separate trainers - Alex Ashwood on Sunshine Warrior, Kate Hargreaves (Gauci) and Reece Moore (White Star Village).
Laugher's seven wins were two shy of Mark Pitt's national record of nine driving wins, achieved at Launceston in April this year, and one fewer than the eight by an individual trainer or driver at Mildura, set by Shayne Cramp in 2014.
Cramp was in the sulky for only two of his eight training wins, but did manage six Mildura driving wins at a meeting in January 2013.
Among a long list of drivers to notch up six wins at a meeting, Daryl Douglas accomplished the feat at Mildura in October 2008.
Despite the significance of his achievement, the hard-working and grounded reinsman is taking the record in his stride.
In an industry where days tend to blend together, Laugher, who arrived home from Mildura about 5am on Saturday, was back at work just a few hours later, ahead of a big book of drives at Ballarat on Saturday night.
He wouldn't have it any other way.
Currently fourth in the state driver's premiership on 89 wins, Laugher was quick to deflect praise for Friday night's win to the horses and trainers.
"It's just luck - all those horses (on Friday) night looked like they had a chance if they got the right runs and got a bit of luck," he said.
"Nearly all of them did. I couldn't say any of them was really unlucky."
Laugher did enjoy one small slice of fortune.
He picked up the winning drive on the Ashwood-trained Sunshine Warrior in race three after the three-year-old gelding's trainer-driver was injured in a horrific fall involving several horses in race two.
Ashwood, who is still in hospital, underwent surgery on Saturday night on his broken wrist and a nose and a hairline fracture in his back, and faces an extended period on the sidelines.
Fellow driver David Smith was also hospitalised, while Charlton teenager Ryan Sanderson and Aaron Dunn were cleared of major injuries, but among a group of four drivers stood down from driving.
Stewards reported all four horses evaded serious injury.
Stewards reported all four horses evaded serious injury.
Laugher was lucky to evade the chaos, being where he was for most of the night, out in front on the Kate Hargreaves-trained Devil Of A Smile.
"I dodged it all - I suppose I was lucky."
Laugher's previous best at Mildura was five winners, a feat he achieved twice during the 2021 season.
He admits to a strong liking for the tight Mildura half-mile circuit.
"It's very competitive racing and it probably helps that not a lot of other guys from down here go up there," he said.
"It's sort of the same five or six of us every week and we all get plenty of drives up there.
"Even if I had a bad night up there on Friday and didn't get a winner, I still would have earned a week's wages in driving fees.
"So it's always worth going up there when you can."
Despite a high volume of wins and placings and a more than handy 16 per cent winning percentage, Laugher conceded it had been a 'mixed' season for himself in the sulky.
He started the year on the sidelines due to suspension and only returned from another three-week spell on the sidelines at Kilmore last Thursday night.
He wasted little time in making his presence felt, driving a double for the Douglas stable on Write About Angus Mighty Flying Art and following up with a sensational seven at Mildura.
Laugher has managed to notch up the wins at an impressive clip this season while knocking over his maiden Group 1 victory aboard Mister Hunter in the $150,000 APG Vic Gold Bullion 2YO Colts and Geldings Final at Melton in May.
"I was out for a while at the start of the year, but I've had a solid run for six months or so before this latest three weeks," he said.
"But I was due for a holiday anyway, so I wasn't really complaining about it.
I went home for a couple of days, but that was it. There's still six horses here that I'm doing, so I couldn't go too far.
"It was just nice to have a break from going to the races every night and just relax for a bit.
"Like (Friday) night, we didn't get out of there (Mildura) until quarter to 12 and we didn't get back to Bendigo till around 5am and then you have to get up and work the horses and go to Ballarat tonight (Saturday).
"You don't get a chance to catch up really or get in front."
READ MORE: Laugher fires wit h seven winners at Mildura
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