100/1 winner is reward for 100 percent effort

Most nights of the week, Ashleigh Camilleri can be found with all the lights on down at the Broken Hill harness racing stables she shares with her father Tony in far western New South Wales.

But her attention to the details is bringing the rewards, including most recently with a 100/1 shot winner at faraway Port Pirie, in South Australia.

Six-year-old gelding Itz Blackjack (Modern Art) led all the way in the Typhoon Project Services Pace last Saturday night (April 12), holding off Captain Cosmonaut and White Star Village.

Watch the replay here: 

“Ash does everything. We’re only working two, but the one we’ve been racing has a few niggles and she just pours the time into Blackjack,” Tony said.

“She does all the hard yards with him, and all that I’ve done lately is drive the horse in fastwork,” he said.

Ashleigh admitted the horse had caused the father and daughter duo plenty of headaches.

“He’s been a hard one to crack, but we’ve done it. We’ve never had a horse so hard to train – so much grief and tears,” Ashleigh said.

In-form reinswoman Lisa Ryan drove the gelding exactly to instructions, one of three winners on the night for her.

“Lisa couldn’t have driven him better – we just told her we’d like to hold the front providing she didn’t have to bustle too much, and then don’t hand up and let him bowl,” Tony said.

“His form on paper didn’t look all that good, but at his most recent start at Mildura his sectional times were probably as good as any of the others. We’ve been having a frustrating run of outs.  We couldn’t buy a decent draw, and we’ve also been getting hammered in the runs.

“After the Mildura meeting, Ash was so devastated she took 200 kilometres of the 300km trip home before she spoke to me!”

“Ash took the horse to Port Pirie by herself but not for that reason!  I was at my brother’s 60th birthday party and had to watch the race on my phone. They stayed overnight with Wayne Brodie and his wife, and I was just so pleased for her, for all the effort she’s put in.”

Tony said visiting Riverina horseman Jackson Painting suggested they add blocks to the horse after he drove him at Mildura.

“We put Jackson on because he’s the only one who had got a win on him before Port Pirie,” he said.

“The horse can get a bit rippy and on the chew and we’ve been trying to get him in the right mindset. Chucking on the blocks has certainly made a difference.”

Ashleigh purchased Itz Blackjack from Goulburn horseman Scott Hewitt.

“They’ve kept in contact since they drove against each other in the 2013 Rising Stars series, which was held over a week at five tracks with the final at Menangle.”

The Camilleri team plans to race Itz Blackjack at Mildura next Tuesday (April 22).

“Then we’ll go back to Port Pirie. It’s good racing, with a good atmosphere and the Brodies and everyone else are great people.”

From Terry Gange for Harnesslink