End of season intrigue in Victorian honors

It’s been more than seven years since anyone other than trainer Emma Stewart and driver Chris Alford stood at the top of the Victorian Harness Racing premiership table at season’s end.

But two thirds of the way through, there’s a potential changing of the guard afoot in 2022 as we reach the “business end” of the season.

Hardworking young reinsman James Herbertson heads the State Drivers’ Championship table with 161 wins.

He is 22 clear of his nearest rival Greg Sugars (139 wins), with Jack Laugher (133), Mark Pitt (116) and Chris Alford (113) rounding out the top five.

Herbertson finished runner-up behind Alford last season, and Alford has won every State driver’s title bar one since 2010-11. (The 2014-15 title was won by Greg Sugars).

This season, interestingly, talented young guns still aged in their 20s, make up three of the top five – Herbertson aged 22, Laugher 23 and Pitt 28. Only one, Herbertson, is still classified as a junior though, and he has the concessional drivers’ title in the bag with his 161 wins more than double that of nearest rival, Ryan Sanderson (75).

For the Metropolitan title, Kate Gath (33 wins) holds the narrowest of leads over rising star Mark Pitt (32), with Sugars (21), Alford (21) and Herbertson (20) rounding up the top five.

The State Trainers’ premiership also seems likely to change hands for the first time in almost a decade.

Emma Stewart has had a stranglehold on Victorian training honors, winning both the State and Metropolitan titles every year since 2013-14.

This year, however, the Bendigo-based Julie Douglas stable is reaping the benefits of hard work.

Douglas leads the State Trainers’ title with 148 wins, 16 clear of Stewart (129).  The Douglas team has criss-crossed the State, harnessing up more than 900 starters (three times the number of starters for the Stewart stable) from Melton to Mildura and everywhere in between, earning $1.6M in stakes for the season so far and well on track for a best-ever stakes results.

By contrast, the Stewart stable’s stunning strike rate continues.  Stewart currently has a 66 percent win/place strike rate – with the stable winning with 44 percent of its starters from across the season (her career best) – and bagging in excess of $2.5M in stakes so far.

The Douglas and Stewart stables are well clear of the third-placed Jess Tubbs (58) and Alex Ashwood and Andy Gath (both on 57 wins) in fourth.

For Metropolitan honors, though, Stewart looks set to retain her title with 42 victories, ten clear of Douglas (32 wins).  Andy Gath (30), Jess Tubbs (13) and Russell Jack (13) make up the top five.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink