Vidovich brings up century with Dame Valour

Teenager Abbey Vidovich is a rising star in WA harness racing, and she maintained her dazzling form in the sulky at Gloucester Park on Friday night when she drove Dame Valour to a smart all-the-way victory in the $27,000 Retravision Lowest Price Guarantee Pace over 2130m.

This gave 19-year-old Vidovich her 100TH success — and her 96TH in a remarkable 2025 season.

“I’ve still got lots to learn,” she said as she explained that she has not come from a harness racing background. “Having a claim has definitely helped, and now with this win I have lost the claim.”

Vidovich was having her first drive for the powerful Aiden De Campo stable, and Dame Valour, the $3.90 equal second favourite, began from the No. 1 barrier, courtesy of Vidovich’s claim and the preference for mares.

Dame Valour won the start and after a modest lead time of 37.5sec. and comfortable opening quarters of 30.9sec. and 30.5sec. she sprinted home strongly with final 400m sections of 28.3sec. and 28sec. which saw her win by a neck from the fast-finishing Infinite Sign ($14), with veteran Cordero ($23) enjoying an inside passage to come from seventh at the bell to finish third, just ahead of the $3.20 favourite Mikis Pride, who wilted after racing without cover.

Dame Valour, a six-year-old by Sweet Lou, is the fourth foal out of Brush With Courage, who won the Western Crown for two-year-old fillies in May 2010 before being retired with earnings of $33,895 from three wins and two seconds from nine starts.

DAME VALOUR REPLAY

About 40 minutes after Dame Valour’s victory her younger half-sister Snakey Bay set the pace for young reinsman Lachlan Kennelly and won a 2185m event at Wagin.

Dame Valour, who is raced by Rob Tomlinson, Damien Keating and Peter Morris, was purchased for $58,000 at the 2020 Perth APG yearling sale and has now earned $123,420 from 11 wins, ten seconds and three thirds from 40 starts.

Tomlinson and Keating are part-owners of Maungatahi, who was a $8.80 chance ($18 on the fixed odds market) who won the RAC Members Pace over 2536m for trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green.

Maungatahi led for the first 440m and then trailed the frontrunning Sorridere ($3.40) before dashing to the front 100m from the finish. Sorridere, trained and driven by Aiden De Campo, is owned by Tomlinson, Keating and Morris.

For complete race results, click here.

by Ken Casellas, for Gloucester Park