Sweet As scores nice win at the Gore races

American Ideal mare Sweet As returned to racing on a winning note at Gore yesterday.

Sweet As had not raced for four months but her training indicated she was ready to resume in the Charlton Motel Pace. She was one three horses Longbush trainer Alan Paisley raced at Gore.

‘‘We gave her a private workout at Wyndham Saturday week ago and she worked really good,’’ Paisley said of Sweet As.

‘‘She’s a lot stronger this season.’’

Sweet As is owned by Gad and Joan Carter, of Edendale. They bred the two-win pacer out of Hot Shot Babe, who gained her only win from Paisley’s stable.

The Carters and Paisley also raced Sweet As’ sister, Tikety Boo (C0, 11th), yesterday.

Paisley’s other runner at the meeting, Overcast, went within a nose of winning the Brendan Franks Farrier Trot.

Harriet Price’s success in the Kubala Seeds Ltd Pace gave Queenstown supermarket owner Gerry Breen his first win in harness racing.

He and West Plains trainer, Matt Saunders, bought Harriet Price out of Phil Burrows’ North Canterbury stable in December.

The lightly-raced 4-year-old needed time to mature, Saunders said.

‘‘Her attitude wasn’t good last season. She was big and weak and we’ve had to wait.’’

Sheree Tomlinson is closing on her early season goal of reaching 15 wins, which will allow her to drive Amaretto Sun in the Group III Banks Peninsula Trotting Cup at Motukarara on October 2.

Drivers must have 15 wins to drive in Group and Listed races and at premier meetings.

Tomlinson, a junior driver in Murray Brown’s Invercargill stable, is on 11 wins after scoring with Three Dreams at Gore and Amaretto Sun at Addington on Friday night.

Amaretto Sun is part-owned and trained by her grandfather, Ken Ford, of West Melton. He trained Zachary Binx to win the Banks Peninsula Cup last year.

Tomlinson’s mother, Amanda, drives Zachary Binx.