Sport
12 May, 2026
Celebrations all round on trotting track
Champagnes, who was driven by James Herbertson and started a $1.85 favourite, was impressive in her victory rating 1.58.6 for the 1710m trip and winning by 8.6m from Scott Torney’s mare Tension Seeker.
By DES RICHARDS
THERE was plenty to celebrate for the Youngson family after their double at Ballarat on Thursday.
Nick was the trainer of both winners with wife Debbie racing Champagnes.
But the ownership of the second winner, Fremarks Peggy, is shared with the couples offspring Hayden, Corey and Tarah.
Champagnes, who was driven by James Herbertson and started a $1.85 favourite, was impressive in her victory rating 1.58.6 for the 1710m trip and winning by 8.6m from Scott Torney’s mare Tension Seeker.
The eight-year-old Bacardi Lindy mare has now won on 11 occasions and Thursday’s time was a career best.
The second winner Fremarks Peggy, from the family of Sumthingaboutmaori, started as $1.22 favourite and won her fifth race by 23.8m.
Another Ballarat winner was the John Tormey-trained Karbine who made it two on the trot following his win at the same track a week earlier. On both occasions the gelding was driven by Jack Laugher for owner Alison Tormey.
Ararat conducted a meeting on Monday night with the Moyreisk trained Boutika winning for the fourteenth time for Barry and Katrina Ainsworth.
The eight-year-old mare, who was bred by Gregory Hargreaves started a $2.90 favourite and was driven by Navarre reinswoman Ada Massa.
Mildura again Friday with Charlton’s Zac Steenhuis taking the honours in the first race with the two-year-old Art Major filly Ravishing Roxy who was having only her second race start.
The winner was raced by Z Steenhuis, S Steenhuis, C Moore, R Keating, D Blackburn, D McGrath and A Hague and led all the way for her driver Jack Laugher to win by 2m. The stable almost made it a double with another maiden Seaside Show going down by only a half-head in her race after leading for most of the 1790m event.
Friday night saw the McNaulty stable head for the meeting at Melton with Zenario a $1.80 fav. In the first race.
After doing work early in the race the four-year-old was being hailed as the winner after it kicked clear of the field at the top of the straight but faded slightly at the finish to finish third beaten 1.4m by the winner.
Insider Trading was the $1.20 fave in the next race and made it two wins from four starts for the McNaulty’s. It easily accounted for its opposition winning by 9.2m. Both horses were driven by J Herbertson who at last count had driven 115 winners for the season.
Bendigo race on Wednesday and apart from the Berrimal trotters, 20-year-old Brent White is having his first drive on I’m Miss Royalty in race three.
The engineering student is the great-grandson of the late Ken and Maureen Ward and grand-son of 91-year-old Huntly trainer Bill White who trains I’m Miss Royalty. Charlton race on Friday.
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