A quiet weekend at home was definitely not the right description for harness racing trail blazer Amanda Turnbull’s visit back to Bathurst last week.
On Friday it was just like the good old days as the leading driver scored a treble in successive races at Group One Feeds Paceway, bringing up her century in New South Wales this season.
Ardghal, ($1.90 favourite) the first of her winners, sat outside the leader in the 2260 metres fast-class, to register Amanda’s 100th winner, Timmy May ($1.80 favourite) proved too strong for his three-year-old rivals in the next, and One Hit Wonder ($4.00) produced a come-from-nowhere finish to complete the treble in the C0 class race six.
All three winners had a family connection: Timmy May is trained by older brother Josh, for his wife Jess, while the other two are from her father’s strong stable.
Saturday involved her once-regulation trip down the mountains to Menangle, where she had to settle for several placings, and on Sunday morning, before loading up the team for the afternoon meeting at home, there was an important local ceremony to attend in nearby Bathurst.
This year marks Bathurst’s bi-centenary and the local council recently announced a list of 200 locals who have made significant contributions to the community, in various fields, to be honoured by a commemorative avenue of trees, each individually identified.
Amanda is one of that group, along with her father Steve and grandfather “A.D.”, Bathurst C.E.O. Danny Dwyer, former champion jockey Bill Aspros, and retired principal and past club director Peter Nugent.
The six received a very warm round of applause when they were rounded up for a group photo during Sunday afternoon’s big Breeders Challenge Regional Finals meeting.
Amanda extended her score to 104 not out when one of her own runners, Chumlee ($1.90 favourite) took out the 3YO Colts and Geldings Final, after starting from outside the second row and working to the lead in the first lap.
Then, if all that wasn’t more than enough for an action-packed three days, it was into the car and the long drive back to Shepparton, her new home base, for the start of another working week!
If you should hear anyone complaining about “young people these days!” just point out Amanda Turnbull to them.
Terry Neil