Julie Maughan's Raceday Report Thursday 12th November 2015

WINNING WAY AT TAMWORTH COMPILED BY JULIE MAUGHAN FOR TAMWORTH PACEWAY MEETING: 12TH NOVEMBER 2015

Missen Brothers
Luck sometimes plays a big factor in a race and today reinsman Peter Missen copped it on two occasions - which handed him a winning double as a reinsman.
“I have had more luck today with harness racing then I have in my whole life” joked Peter Missen.
Aunty Nanna Kath was the first on the winners list in taking out the Smokey’s Bar & Grill/Star Maker Café Pace (1980m).
It was also the Art Colony-Rojen Pacific mares first win in 11 starts and one placing.
Starting from the two barrier Missen handed the lead up to Uralla pacer Artistic Double (Peter Munsie) who set the race tempo and “slipped” away from the field in the back straight on the final occasion.
“I thought Munsie may have won the race” said Missen
“On the home turn I thought I was going to run second to him and then all of a sudden he started to come back to us and I hooked her (Aunty Nanna Kath) out and she did the job from there”.
Aunty Nanna Kath went on for a 1.4 metre win over Surf On By (Jason Proctor) and Artistic Double a neck away third.
The win was in a neat 2.00.7 for 1980 metres.
“She (Aunty Nanna Kath) run a decent race first up last week” said Missen.
(Hunter Valley reinsman Nathan Carroll was tipped from the spider behind Northridge Pearl in the event but regained the reins to place himself back in the spider, before retiring from the event.)
The second win for Missen came about in the following event - the Wests Platinum TAB Pace - with Fivestar Wally.
Although Fivestar Wally had substantiation in winning the race it was also another “lucky” race break that saw the win.
Any Wonder (Jason Proctor) led the field and looked the likely winner, but as the field were shaping up for the run home, Any Wonder -who was having his fifth race start - stepped out of his gear.
For Peter Missen, who was trailing Any Wonder, he took the lucky split up the inside running with Fivestar Wally.
“I couldn’t believe it. He was going to win the race” said Missen of Any Wonder.
After clearing Any Wonder Missen saw his brother Tony - with stablemate Hes Our Boy - making a dash for the line on his outside and looking for back to back wins.
Fivestar Wally held on for a 5.4 metre win over Hes Our Boy with Any Wonder 10 metres away third with the Camlach-Cute Catie gelding enjoying his last win back in 2013 at Maitland.
“Fivestar Wally went real good today” added Peter Missen “He was unlucky last start when he got held up but we are very happy with his run today”
“It obviously has to be our lucky day” added Missen.
The wins of Aunty Nanna Kath and Fivestar Wally also provided a training double for Missen’s brother Tony.
? The race was marred by two separate race incidents which saw last start winner Never Die lose his driver Mitch Faulkner, who then regained control of the reins and completing the race.
? Also in the same race, but a separate incident, Starzzzforlouise (Brendan Hunt) also fell during the running of the 1980 metre event.

TOM ISON DOUBLE
Tom Ison has “ditched” the school books and is concentrating on harness racing fulltime as his chosen career and enjoyed his winning double at today’s Tamworth HRC meeting.
Ison teamed up with his favourite pacer - Alyeska Dream- who was afforded a “handy” race position of the one by one and having the room to enjoy her “customary sprint” to the line in her latest win at Tamworth.
The Dream Away-Branwil Park mare heralded her 10th career win for owners Brian Betts along with his son Rob who is also a Tamworth HRC Board member.
(The father and son combination also enjoyed success in the opening event at the Newcastle meeting on Friday night when Halfway Holme, trained by Cameron Davies won the From The Track Pace)
“She just loves the speed this mare” said Ison of Alyeska Dream of who he has partnered on seven winning occasions. “The faster they go the more she likes it”
Perfect Sign (Maddie Bond) led the field with Take Charge (Murray Sullivan) racing in the breeze while Alyeska Dream enjoyed the one by one.
Ison asked the six year old mare to race three wide around the final turn before saying “see ya later” to the opposition.
Alyeska Dream had a 7.5 metre win over Perfect Sign in the Banjos Restaurant/Neros Café Pace and Young Rusty 9.3 metres away third.
Mile rate was 2.00.6 for 1980 metres.
17 year old Ison drives Alyeska Dream for trainer Ian “Spud” Verning but then swapped stables to take the reins behind the Graham Moon trained Franco Seville to gain the driving double for the day.
Franco Seville led the field with Mitrhys Magic (Anthony Varga) racing out in the breeze.
Ison cruised to the line with the big Badlands Hanover-Silky Franco gelding having a 3.3 metre win over a fast finishing Mondo Seelster (Michael Formosa) and Justaglamour (Matthew Harding) 3.4 metres away third.
“Graham (Moon) told me when he gets to the front he just keeps running and we just kept going” said Ison of Franco Seville.
“The day has been brilliant – couldn’t be any happier” added Ison with a cheeky grin on his face.
“I’m enjoying it – I just love doing it is my future” added Ison.

RED CASTLE REBEL
Narrabri pacer Red Castle Rebel is starting to collect the picket fences behind his name.
Since resuming from a spell, Red Castle Rebel has had two wins from two starts at Tamworth - in a space of two weeks.
Raced by the Narrabri syndicate of Chris Shepherdson, Peter Shepherdson, Gary Shepherdson and Neil Drysdale, the Pacific Fella-Malibu Magic gelding will commence from the four barrier.
“He does a few things wrong and goes a bit rough in the race but tries his heart out” said Chris Shepherdson after last week’s win in the Wests Entertainment Group Pace at Tamworth.
“It’s a good way to start the season so as long as it keeps going like that we will be happy” added Shepherdson.
Red Castle Rebel raced out in the breeze for the entire 1980 metre journey, while Corbin Lee (Len Simon) led the field with the duo joined down the home straight on the final occasion by The Artful Dodger (Peter Munsie).
“Down the home straight I thought The Artful Dodger was going to go straight past me but this bloke dug deep and came home well”
“I was pretty confident when we got around the home turn that he could win” added Shepherdson “The first couple of slow quarters helped”
Red Castle Rebel held on for a neck win over Corbin Lee and The Artful Dodger a head away third with a mile rate of 2.0.2.9 for 1980 metres.
“It’s always good to get a winner” added Shepherdson.