“It’s like driving a Ferrari”. That’s how young gun harness racing reinsman Josh Aiken today summed up his first hit-out in the gig behind star pacer Hectorjayjay.
Aiken, 23, drove the brilliant six-year-old at the Shepparton trials last Thursday, where he came in first ahead of Inter Dominion winning champion stablemate Lennytheshark in a rate of 1:55.7 (55-second last half).
“I said straight afterwards I think I might have gone too slowly on him but he ran home in a 55secs last half and a 26.2 last quarter,” he said. “It was just unreal.”
Today Aiken received the news he’d be piloting the David Aiken-trained 31-time winner in Saturday night’s Group 3 3SH Swan Hill Pacing Cup.
Hectorjayjay’s regular reinsman, Gavin Lang, has committed to Emma Stewart-trained 2014 Swan Hill Cup winner Guaranteed, who is first-up since the 2015 A.G. Hunter Cup on Saturday.
“I’m excited to have picked up this opportunity,” Aiken said.
Swan Hill is the first of 25 Trots County Cups to be held across Victoria.
Cody Winnell (HRV Media/Communications Manager)