Is there any stopping the grey machine?
Sharons Millicent made it a perfect six Albion Park wins today's harness racing meeting en route to Saturday night’s target, the $14,999 Statewide Taxation Services Trotters Marathon, raced over a staggering 3157 metres.
The Marathon will be, by far the former Kiwi’s toughest assignment but the mare so far has been faultless in every appearance at headquarters.
Driven by trainer Grant Dixon today, Sharons Millicent came off a 20 metre handicap before working in tradesman-like fashion to reel in the front runner Ivanov on the final turn and scoot away on the rain affected surface to score by 8.6 metres.
The mare's mile rate was 2.06.5 mile over the 2647 metre journey.
Nickelson (Ian Gurney/ Nathan Purdon) came from the 30 metre back mark to take second place, three metres ahead of the tiring Ivanov (Brad Connolly/ Peter Greig).
Sharons Millicent, a five-year-old daughter of Monkey Bones and the Gee Whiz mare Black Onyx was purchased out of New Zealand last month by prominent owner Greg Mitchell as a gift for his wife Sharon.
The grey made a successful Australian debut at Albion Park on 15 May and impressively has won every week since with subsequent victories on 22 May, 26 May, 2 June, 9 June and today.
“Greg and Grant laughed when I said I wanted a grey horse to race but I am the one laughing now,” Sharon said.
“This is my first horse and I love her.”
But it wasn’t love at first sight.
Sharon asked Greg for a new car for mother’s day this year but got the horse instead.
“On mother’s day Greg said he was taking me up to Grant’s place to look at a new car, I thought it was a bit ‘sus’ but I went along with it and was disappointed when I discovered it was a horse I was going to see, but she was grey and that’s what I told them I wanted, so I couldn’t complain.”
“I’m definitely not complaining now, and she is so lovely, she has a good nature.”
Sharon now hopes the wins keep coming for Sharons Millicent and for a very good and unselfish reason.
“I wanted to see if my horse was any good before I hatched a plan that I’ve had in mind for a while,” Sharon said.
“I have a desire to donate some of my horse’s winning to support fund raising for Juvenile Diabetes research, my son Jack (17) has diabetes and I’d like to set up something to support the research.”
On Saturday night Sharon reckons Sharons Millicent looks to have a good show but she didn’t tempt fate by saying that she’d win again.
“Five is my lucky number so I was happy to win five in a row, now its six, who know if she can keep it going,” she said.
Another five-year-old trot mare, the lightly raced My Delightful Lady was also back in the winner’s circle at Albion Park today, winning the 1660 metre Trotters Mobile.
The Rollon Big Red bay made it back to back mile victories for trainer Neville Doyle and driver Nathan Dawson and will now attempt to show its versatility in the Trotters Marathon on Saturday night.
My Delightful Lady and Sharons Millicent are the youngest competitors in the Marathon.
Sharon Millicent has drawn the pole mark position with My Delightful Lady, post three.
The mares share the front row with veteran gelding Its Three By Two (Frank Bennett/Clint Sneddon), a 14 times winner with a recent Albion Park victory to its credit.
Bart Cockburn’s Supper Waltz Wilson at ten years old is one of the oldest trotters in the Marathon field and with 33 wins from a 134 starts and a TM9 mark, he will start off a mammoth handicap of 90 metres.
The Dr Ronerail gelding has won three times at Tabcorp Park Menangle this year and hasn’t raced since coming off a 20 metre handicap with ninth to On Thunder Road in the Group 3 Bulli Trotters Cup (3009m) last month.
Supper Waltz Wilson has a good record in distance races with his victories including the 2012 Trotters Marathon (3100m) from a 20 metre handicap when the event was raced at the Parklands, Gold Coast track and he was runner up off an 80 metre handicap in Shes Commando’s Trotters Marathon in 2013.
Last week’s impressive winner, 10 year old Si Capisco (Greg Eeles/Darrel Graham), will start off a 10 metre handicap.
On its Queensland debut at Albion Park last Saturday night, the former Victorian raced tough to score a convincing victory and trainer Eeles has predicted the dual Monte race winner will be much fitter for that run.
David Aldred