Successful day for Tomlinson at Ascot
Sheree Tomlinson’s two winners at Ascot Park yesterday both clocked 2:42.2 for 2200m.
Rank outsider Elle Ko won a C1 pace at odds of 74-to-one and Blow A Cloud took out a C1-2 contest. They are trained at Ascot Park by Murray Brown, who prepared Elle Ko’s dam, Arts Mistress, and grandam, Highview Mistress.
‘‘It was a total surprise,’’ Tomlinson, a junior driver, said of Elle Ko’s win. ‘‘She went super today.’’ Blow A Cloud again showed toughness to notch his third win from 10 starts for Brown.
‘‘He’s definitely a horse,’’ Tomlinson said.
The 17-year-old gained employment in Brown’s stable six months ago. Her lone drive at Gore on staying Sunday is Happy Lou, who has drawn two in a C1 event.
Tomlinson’s grandfather, Ken Ford, of West Melton, trains top three-year-old trotter Marcoola (New Zealand Trotting Derby).
Ryal Bush horseman Peter Hunter also drove two winners on the Invercargill Harness Racing Club’s programme.
His brace of wins were with trotter Grace O’Malley and Ansett Flight.
Grace O’Malley opened up a big lead in the back straight the last time and romped home by four lengths. The seven-year-old mare is bred to be successful being by Sundon from Jane’s Song (five wins).
Curly Thomas trains O’Malley in Invercargill.
Ansett Flight won at his second start from Hunter’s stable. He is by Panspacificflight from Classique, a Holmes Hanover mare who won Grace four races including the 2007 Riverton Cup. Three of the wins were at Ascot Park.
Two-year-old filly Shezacullengirl beat her elders rivals in a fillies and mares’ 1700m (mobile). The first starter from Nathan Williamson’s stable won nicely by one and a-quarter lengths in 1:58.7.
Shezacullengirl is the 10th foal out of former top racemare Chloe Hanover (11 wins).