Award-winning journalist trains another winner

Terry Gange found himself on the other side of the pen at Melton on Friday night (Jul. 29).

The veteran award winning journalist has forged a career writing about the sport’s participants but on a cold winter’s night at headquarters he was the subject as the harness racing trainer of pacing bred trotter Bullapark Beno (Changeover) who scored a narrow win in the Logical Staffing Trot.

Given a gem of a drive by James Herbertson, Bullapark Beno ($3.40 fav) gained a three wide cart into the race before peeling out four wide around the home turn and managed to hold off the fast finishing My High Peak by a neck.

Gange said the son of Changeover was gradually returning to something like his best form after winning three races in a row eight months ago.

“I mucked up by putting him in a standing start race at Bendigo and he went off the rails after that,” Gange said.

“And James (Herbertson) came back and said that he is still not trotting properly so we’ve still got some work to do with him from the shoeing side of things,” he said.

Bullapark Beno served notice of a pending win at his previous start when travelling like a winner before galloping at a vital stage of the race.

Gange purchased the five-year-old off Wayne Yole two years ago.

“We were moving from Mildura to Bendigo and there were races for trotters everywhere so I thought I’d better get one,” he said.

Gange credits his wife and co trainer Jacinta with Bullapark Beno’s return to the winner’s circle.

“Jacinta does all of the work with him,” he said.

“It’s all about trotting with him, he was probably going to go close to winning his past two starts before galloping inside the last 600 metres.”

The win provided Gange with his first training success at Melton.

“I won a race with Golly at Moonee Valley but this is my first winner here,” he said.

The husband and wife team formed a training partnership two months ago and it has coincided with a recent run of success for their small stable.

“Don’t worry there have plenty of people quick to point out how well the stable has been going since Jacinta became a co trainer,” he said.

For complete race results, click here.

by John Dunne, for Harnesslink