Sport
14 January, 2026
Pesci takes wide a berth corner field in pace win
After settling eighth at the 600 metres, Pesci was forced four wide around the field on the final corner before finishing strongly to score.
ON A night when on-pace runners were expected to dominate, Kooreh-trained pacer Pesci produced a powerful finishing burst to claim the Nutrien Equine Bendigo Pace at Melton on Saturday night.
After settling eighth at the 600 metres, Pesci was forced four wide around the field on the final corner before finishing strongly to score.
The race was part of the Bendigo Cup meeting, which was transferred to Melton late on Saturday morning following the State Government’s declaration of a State of Disaster for the Greater Bendigo City.
Trained by Shaun and Jason McNaulty, the seven-year-old entire has now recorded twelve career wins, including four for the current ownership group of the McNaulty Family Racing Group, G Donald, J Cornwall, A Sharp, G Sharp, B Webster, V Rodger, H Leonard and J Leonard. He was driven by James Herbertson.
The victory carried added significance following the passing on Friday of part-owner John Leonard. John was a passionate follower of harness racing, particularly of locally trained horses, and was well known within the industry.
It was also a memorable week for the Ainsworth family of Moyreisk, beginning on Monday at Horsham with a win by their four-year-old maiden mare Namella. Bred by Katrina and Barry Ainsworth, the mare was driven by their son Ashley.
Namella is by colonial stallion Restrepo from the mare Nareece Beware. Interestingly, the name of her second dam, Burnthehousedown, echoed events later in the week when fires threatened the Moyreisk area on Wednesday. While conditions became concerning for a time, the efforts of firefighters ensured the worst was avoided.
While the greatest achievement from the Charlton Training Centre last season was undoubtedly the arrival of Darcy Lawrence Gadsden on December 18 for Emily and Mick, the performances of driver Luke Dunne also deserve recognition. Just twenty years of age and in only his fifth driving season, Dunne finished seventh in the Victorian drivers’ premiership with ninety-seven wins, adding two more in South Australia to end the season on ninety-nine victories.
Looking ahead, Bendigo races tonight with Charlton set to race again next Monday.
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