Burnham trainer Bruce Negus knew Quick As A Trick was in for a bold showing on Sunday.
His confidence came from the gigantic pacer going close to breaking Negus' track record set by his flagship pacer Courage Under Fire during the week.
"He ran home in 27.6 and he was jogging at my place," Negus said of the Lis Mara 5-year-old who caused an upset when beating hot favourite Mossdale Conner to win the Pacers Green Mile at Methven.
Quick As A Trick was working so good in the lead up to the race that Negus did not tell promising young driver Jessica Young as he did not want to put pressure on her.
Young and Negus devised a plan to get off the gate from their handy draw and then hand up to either Mossdale Conner or Brilliant Strike.
But when Quick As A Trick got keen and Mossdale Conner switched off, Young had no option but to lead and ironically Negus believes holding the front, was the winning of the race.
"When he thinks he can win, he's very brave," Negus said of the determined win.
The win which returned punters $17.90, was a special one for Negus who has always had a high opinion of him.
He was late scratched at Orari last Saturday when he swung sideways from the standing start but Negus believes he would have won if he stepped away with the field.
Young, a former employee of Negus, flourished her whip in air when crossing the line with delight at her second double in as many weeks.
She rated the win in the Green Mile as one of her biggest wins alongside the Darren DeFilippi memorial.
Earlier in the day at Methven she drove Franco Texas to victory for Dean Taylor.
Young thought she was no chance on either Franco Texas or Quick As A Trick has they both pulled so hard in the running but they were equally as strong at the line.
Quick As A Trick paced the mile in 1-57.0 with closing sectionals of 58.3 and 28.4 on the grass track.
Ricky May said Mossdale Conner could have crossed Quick As A Trick but seemed to switch off when he got ahead of him.
Given he worked at the start and then sat parked, May was happy to give the second placing, two and a half lengths behind Quick As A Trick a pass mark.
Negus will now look at the Omakau and Invercargill Cup's for the Greg Brodie owned pacers next assignments.
Mat Kermeen
Reproduced with permission of Stuff NZ – Check site here