In what's possibly a harness racing first, one trainer has achieved an amazing feat by sending out eight winners on an eight-race card.
Australian trainer Shayne Cramp's stable absolutely dominated proceedings at his home track of Mildura on Tuesday night, not only winning every race but recording a trifecta in Race 1 and the quinella in the third, fifth and seventh events.
Shayne drove three winners himself, while Reece Moore also had a winning treble and father Greg Cramp guided two victors for the stable.
"Absolutely fantastic. It's just unbelievable," Shayne Cramp told Harness Racing Victoria.
"We've got six before but to get eight winners, that's just unheard of....It was a fantastic effort from all the team. Dad drove two winners and the young kid (Reece Moore) we've got working for us drove three.
"It's not going to be an early night tonight."
It began with the Fishers Supermarkets Pace when Lis Mara Shadow (Greg Cramp) defeated stablemate Boltenin by 9.8m, while another Cramp horse Anarion finished third.
The second event, the Redwood Day @ Maryborough Sunday Pace, went to Cramp-trained two-year-old Mach Three filly Aldebaran Brandi, which defeated runner-up Lucky Eight and another Cramp runner East Emperor in third.
Race 3, the Sunraysia Daily Pace, was taken out by Macray Soiree, Cramp’s three-year-old Grinfromeartoear filly, which defeated stablemate Glen Alpine Drive by 5.3m.
The Cramp wagon rolled on in Race 4, the Seelite Windows and Doors Pace, when Soho Jagger prevailed victorious 8.5m over Georges Lad in second and yet another Cramp runner in Squiggymaguire in third.
The fifth event saw the Cramps in the winners’ stall in the Bill Hanson Memorial Pace, with a stable quinella via Philtra Phella defeating Sutter Man.
Hargrave took out Race 6, the Mildura Sports Pace, Cramp’s only runner in the race prevailing by 12.1m.
The seventh event went to Inransit, while stablemate Vivant gave Cramp yet another quinella.
And in the last history was made in emphatic fashion, Reece Moore piloting Cramp’s Cenosilocophobia to victory by a huge margin.
Moore gave an emphatic victory salute as he crossed the line in first place; but his winning margin was so enormous he probably could have got out 50m before the line and danced his horse and sulky to success.
Earlier Tuesday morning, Cramp had successfully won his appeal to Harness Racing Victoria’s RAD Board against his suspension for a drive on Philtra Phella in a Mildura race on June 13. That suspension would have left Cramp on the sidelines for eight weeks.
(with files from HRV)