Rookie Medowie harness racing driver Emma Nichols has “found her calling” after breaking through for her first winner on Saturday night at Newcastle Paceway.
Nichols, 32, drove the Peter Payne-trained Pumpniron to a 7.5-metre victory in the C3 race over 1609m after coming five wide with a storming finish from back in the field. It was the five-year-old gelding’s first win since last October and came as Payne was in hospital with back trouble.
“It was really nice to win for him while he’s in hospital. It will hopefully pick him up a bit,” Nichols said.
It was Nichols’ first race drive on Pumpniron. She works for Medowie trainer Darren Reay and has been driving in races since last December.
“I’ve been close a couple of times so it was exciting,” she said. “I just get a drive here and there, mainly for Darren, but I’d driven Pumpa in trials. I’d done a bit of trackwork with him and helped Peter Payne out.
“I just got myself into a good spot and the horse did it easy.”
Nichols had been a stablehand in the thoroughbred industry and came into harness racing at Reay’s stables about three years ago.
“I came here to start feeding up and I just kept stepping up into it,” she said.
“I started having a go at driving, just for a bit of fun, then trackwork and it progressed from there. I came into it a bit late but I’ve found my calling and I love it.”
Leigh Sutton drove a winning treble with Chevrons Reward and Platinum Revolution for Shane and Lauren Tritton, and Advanced Warfare for Stephen Kilroy.
By Craig Kerry