Young West Melton trainer Jason Lethaby geared up three horses at the Riverton meeting yesterday and all three won.
Ideal Rule and Richard Le Fort, both trained by him won, while Ariadne Lavros trained by Mark Jones won the Southland Standardbred Breeders Fillies and Mares Mobile Pace. All three were driven by Samantha Ottley.
Ideal Rule started the roll when she won the Net Ten EOM at Macca Lodge Fillies and Mares Mobile Pace beating Trendy's Bad Girl by one and quarter lengths.
"Running in a race for fillies and mares (Ideal Rule) was the main reason we came down. There hasn't been too many races like that at home and the other race for the big horse (Richard Le Fort) suited him being a non-preferencial race," said Lethaby.
From barrier five Ideal Rule was posted without cover early before being covered up by Manuka Valley. Ottley got out when she wanted to and drove out the American Ideal filly to win by a length and a quarter.
Ideal Rule and Samantha Ottley winning Photo Bruce Stewart.
"I was very confident with her. She'd been working and trialling real good so I knew if she got a good run she'd be pretty hard to beat and that's what happened,"
Lethaby purchased the filly at the 2015 Sale of the Stars for $6,000. She's was breed by David Jones of Rakaia and is out of the unraced Christian Cullen mare Cullens Rule.
"She qualified nice behind a few of Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen's nice ones. We were going to race her as a two year old but we decided to give her time. I think she'll do a real good job and we plan to qualify her for the Southland Oaks."
His second winner came two races later with Jereme's Jet gelding Richard Le Fort. Ottley blasted the five year old out of the gate and lead at the winning post for the first time. With 400 metres to run she pinched a break and that proved to be the winning of the race. He held on to beat Longevity by a neck.
Richard Le Fort (7) beating Longevity (white helmet) on the inside – Photo Bruce Stewart
"We've had him for a year. We bought him off Mark Jones for a group of guys. It was their first race horse. He trialled up real good. He was such a big lanky horse we thought we're give him a month off and let him strengthen but he never came back any good. We had a couple of starts with him and he only went average so we sent him onto a hill block for eight months. We brought him back in in the middle of May and worked him up nice and quietly through the winter, and it's seems to have worked with him."
Bruce Stewart
Southland Harness Racing