Nigel Johns trifecta in the Trotters Sprint

Monday was a dream come true for Nigel Johns and Deb Woodley, with their harness racing team getting the trifecta in the feature at Pinjarra, the $11,000 Medic Aid Trotters Sprint over the 1684m.

With $1.36 favourite Patched galloping his way out of contention, as well as the second and third favourites of the race blowing their chances at release point, value punters would have been rejoicing, with Dark Secret (Bad Boy Truscott) taking out race eight on the card at $26 odds.

In a strong run to the line, there was just a head dividing first and second, with Luvaflair going down narrowly to her stablemate, and Peachee going down by just a mere 1.5m for trainer/driver Nigel Johns.

“It felt great, it always feels good winning, but it feels really good winning with a troublesome horse that I’ve spent a lot of time getting going.

“That’s always really nice (getting the trifecta), it’s a nice feeling when you’re getting beat and you can’t find any more, but you look across and they’re two of your own, that’s really good.

“I would have liked Peachee to win but she did all the work in the race and she was super so I can’t complain. As long as I’m earning, I’m happy.” Johns said

Driven by champion reinsman Chris Lewis, Dark Secret came from behind to break a 23-start losing sequence, giving the nine-year-old his 20th career win as well as giving Lewis his fourth consecutive win in the feature.

DARK SECRET REPLAY

Johns took out the Trotters Sprint at Pinjarra in 2010 with Compressor, who was purchased for just $15,000 in 2008 with just $25,000 to his name but retired in 2015 after a successful and long career for 205 starts, for 25 wins and 60 placings and earnings of just over $221,000.

“He’s getting ridden now, my mate that finds them homes said he’s got a happy life and the deal is if they ever want to bring him home, they can always bring him home.”

The celebrations didn’t end there though, with Johns taking the other half of his team to Gloucester Park on Tuesday night with Aldebaran Sundown and One Bid Buys NZ getting the quinella in the last, a win that Aldebaran Sundown has made Johns work quite hard for.

“Aldebaran Sundown has been a problem child, gait problems, head problems, and he’s really starting to get it together, so hopefully.

“He’s done this before, he’s got it together then lost it, threw all the toys out of the pram and lost it again, but he’s really getting it, so if he can keep his head on, he will be a consistent little earner, that’s all I worry about, it’s a lifestyle for me.”

Little star mascot and golden girl around the stable Kell Road Kid continues to tick along, adding a fifth placing last night after a last start fourth 10 days earlier at Gloucester Park. The 13-year-old is nearing her 300th start, but with 295 starts under her belt continues to race consistently with Johns just hoping to crack the 300 with her in her last season of racing.

“It’s just a great advertisement for if you don’t push horses as babies, how long a life they can have, and this is what we need to look at.

“She’s forced to retire but she’s still cruising around and gets vetted before the race, after the race, no other horse goes through that, and she’s perfectly sound.

“I just really want to get to 300 starts with her and she will probably race until the end of the season and then we will probably get a foal out of her.”

For complete race results, click here.

by Ashleigh Paikos, for RWWA