“Alby” has 100 reasons to smile

Emerging Victorian harness racing trainer-driver Alex (Alby) Ashwood put an exclamation mark on the passing of another milestone in his impressive career at Monday’s Cobram meeting.

Ashwood, of Bendigo, chalked up his 100th driving winner for season 2021, and then went on to notch up a treble from only four drives for the day.

“Getting 100 in a season is a milestone everyone likes, so I was happy to have a good day. I got 100 for the first time last year, but I’d worked up to it before that, getting in the 60s in the previous season,” Ashwood said.

“I think when you get better quality horses to drive you get more confidence and it all leads into each other – you can back your judgement and things snowball from there,” he said.

Driving craft and horsemanship is something Ashwood has spent the majority of his life refining after being born into the sport in Tasmania.

“I was pretty much always going to be in harness racing. I grew up around it with dad and mum (Rodney and Page) being involved and I was heavily into the pony trots by the time I was six or seven,” Ashwood said.

“Then from the time I was 12 or 13, I’d fly over to Melbourne to spend school holidays with Dean Braun, helping out at his stables,” he said.

“I got my trials licence at 15, then drove in more than 100 trials before I got my licence as soon as I was 16.”

Ashwood didn’t waste any time making his mark. On his first night in the sulky at Hobart he not only got a win at his first drive on Honest Art for his dad but went on to get a double from three steers. He became the quickest person to outdrive a junior concession claim in Tasmania, in under 12 months.

“I was lucky that I got great opportunities from dad and his brother Paul as well as Rohan Hillier, who was the best in Tassie at that time, the Fords, and Juanita McKenzie was a great supporter as well. I was driving a horse for Juanita called Nitro Blue who did a really good job for me, winning some nice feature races.

“I finished school halfway through Year 11 when I was 17 and shifted to Victoria to work for Andy and Kate Gath. I stayed there for three or four years, then went to Dean Braun’s for two years.”

“I also bought a horse called Mojo Major when I was only 18 and he was pretty good to me. He ran fourth in the Breeders Crown as a two-year-old, and fifth as a three-year-old, and won over $180,000.”
Ashwood continued to learn and hone his skills with another two years back at the Gath stable before setting up in partnership with Kate Hargreaves at Shelbourne for three years.

He’s now based at the Bendigo Harness Racing Centre, training and racing a team with his partner, capable junior driver Tayla French, who last week drove her 50th winner for the season.

“We’re developing our property on 90 acres at Axedale which will have the stable facilities we need for 40 horses with a 1000 metre track and a 1200 metre straight track. But we all know these things take time, and we are just hoping we can be based on the property within the next six months,” he said.

“We’re working 22 horses at the moment, with quite a few at the pre trainers getting jogged up and at least six rising two-year-olds are about to come back into work,” Ashwood said.

The next focus is the approaching Inter Dominion series in NSW where the couple have rising star trotters Humble Ladd and Parisian Artiste engaged.

“It’s full on, but exciting times. We’re starting a new chapter this week with Tayla finishing up her work at the hospital and being full time with the horses together so we’re looking forward to what’s ahead.”