Avid central Victorian harness racing driver Tina Ridis is making every post a winner after again teaming up with a pacer she hasn't driven for nearly 12 months.
Ridis, who trains at the former gold mining town of Havelock 10 kilometres north of Maryborough, has formed a formidable partnership with seven-year-old gelding Calvert Hot Shot, trained by 80-year-old veteran horseman Ray Cross.
Calvert Hot Shot (Town Champion-Etched In Ice (Perfect Art) got the money at Maryborough on November 3 and repeated the dose at Ballarat with a strong win in the Mazda Pace last Thursday.
Ridis said Calvert Hot Shot was racing in great form and thoroughly deserved his two recent victories.
"He's a lovely horse and I've only driven him three times this campaign-he's really been hitting the line hard," she said.
"I drove him probably eight or nine times back in October and November last year. I got the opportunity when Ray returned back to Queensland after a working holiday down here and left the horse with Phillip Giles, at Great Western.
"I remember nearly winning at my first drive on him at Maryborough-we went so close, going down by a neck."
The Ballarat fixture was a memorable one for Cross and his wife Janelle with Calvert Hot Shot the first leg of a winning double. The second was courtesy of five-year-old trotter Honey Please (Yankee Spider-Kumbya (Sundon), driven by Michael Bellman. The popular freelancer is in terrific form and showed his customary fine touch to score by a half head over Dicko Dixon (Glen Craven).
Ridis has certainly been making the best of her driving engagements this season with an enviable top three strike rate of nearly 58 percent. She has had 19 drives for six wins, two seconds and three thirds for over $26,000.
Last season Calvert Hot Shot faced the starter only 15 times for three placings, while this season he has two victories from just 10 attempts. Overall, he's been a consistent earner for the Cross couple with eight wins and 22 placings for $43,000.
The husband and wife team previously trained at Calvert, a small town near Ipswich, 40 kms south west of Brisbane, before deciding on a sea change early this year.
Cross has a love for square gaiters and believed the opportunities in Victoria were too good to ignore. They have been training out of Maryborough stables owned by friend Mick Clover, while searching for a property of their own.
Ridis says she has been involved in harness racing "forever" after being born into it.
"I grew up around horses because my dad John was a trainer-driver. He used to breed and train a few while growing potatoes at Korweinguboora, about 15 kms from Daylesford," she said.
"When I decided to get my driver's licence, dad then just concentrated on the training part of it. I can still recall my first win-it was my 13th attempt and at the old Horsham track.
"Dad ended up shifting to Ballarat after suffering some heart conditions through the heavy work that was involved on the farm and he still trained a couple up until he passed away about 20 years ago."
Ridis will soon have her team back and racing after giving them a break.
"I've got six in work. There's a few new ones that are shaping up okay so hopefully they will do a good job," she said.
Terry Gange
NewsAlert PR Mildura