One drive, one win makes a perfect return

South Australia reinswoman Gina Bell made a stellar and emotional return to harness racing on Monday – and she’s hoping it’ll be the first of more opportunities to come.

Bell, who has been a familiar face at South Australian and Victorian meetings for more than 20 years, hadn’t driven a horse at the races for nearly six months, when she jumped aboard Golden Jaylet (Allamerican Ingot – Jane Hunt (Jet Laag) at Globe Derby Park.

But Bell made the lack of recent racing irrelevant – pinging straight to the front with Golden Jaylet, and running away to score by 15 metres.

“I have to admit, you don’t ever get ahead of yourself, even when you are that far in front, until you are over the line!  But I did have a little tear in my eye, I had a little cry, after the race,” Bell said.

“I just absolutely love race driving and I have really missed it, and the people around the sport.  So, it was a bit emotional for me.  Hopefully, though, it won’t be the last and there might be a few more opportunities come my way, now that people know.”

Trainer Kathryn Pickering gave Bell the opportunity on Golden Jaylet in unfortunate circumstances, due to the injury of the pacer’s regular driver Lisa Ryan in a race fall.

Ryan is recovering at home after spinal surgery for multiple cracked vertebrae, sustained when she was catapulted from a sulky and thrown 15 metres into the air during a race at Globe Derby on April 30.

“It was a terrible set of circumstances to get the drive, but I messaged Lisa for her tips about the horse beforehand, and she was lovely.  She just told me not to hand up the front, and not to hand up the breeze! Well, we followed the instructions and it worked out perfectly!” Bell said.

“I used to drive the horse a bit back in 2019, but my circumstances changed at work, and it wasn’t as easy to get to all the meetings as it had been, so Lisa started driving him.  He’s quite a different horse to the one I remember, but he’s doing a job for Kathryn – that was his third win for the year,” she said.

Bell followed her father Gary Bell into the sport, and first took out her driver’s licence when she was 19.

She’s been associated with handy horses including Gee Whiz Fizz and Rovers Return (who she rode for a Monte win, a victory she describes as a “massive thrill”) and was a regular participant in female race driver series events.

“Dad always just had one or two horses and got involved in the sport from Stan Messenger, who a lot of people would remember,” she said.

“I’m not training horses anymore, and haven’t been at the races too much, so it’s difficult to pick up drives along the way. I love driving but these days I just don’t often get the opportunities because I don’t put myself out there – it’s just not in me and I can’t bring myself to do it.

“But if I can possibly get to a meeting for a drive I absolutely will.  It’s the thing I really enjoy – and I love getting winners!”

To view the replay of Bell winning with Golden Jaylet, click here.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink