First horse gives trainer her first winner

Janine Stewart, who last year graduated from the Gippsland Harness Training Centre as Student of the Year, took the next step on her journey in the harness racing industry when she trained her first race winner on Monday afternoon.

Glam Rock's win was fittingly at Warragul, where Janine learnt the ropes at the Training Centre as a mature age student, earning her stablehand and trainer's licences along the way.

She only had her first runner in a race in February with Glam Rock, and his victory on Monday has kick started her training career in fine style.

Monday's race was for prizemoney of only $3500, however the stakes value was the last thing on the mind of the horse's excited trainer after the event.

Janine explained that Glam Rock had been struggling in races for higher prizemoney, against stronger opposition, so the drop in class to a race like the one on Monday gave the pacer every chance of winning.

Driven by leading reinsman Greg Sugars, who steered four of the eight winners on the day, Glam Rock had been unsuccessful in 33 races before Monday, the four-year-old also recording his first race victory in the process.

Janine only trains the one horse, at the South Oakleigh "Southern Speedways" stable complex, where several hobby trainers prepare horses.

A fellow past graduate of the Gippsland Harness Training Centre, Rick Cashman, also provided Greg Sugars with a winner when Danman won the seventh race.

Rick and Danman have now won six races from 31 starts.

Capping off a great day for Greg Sugars were the wins of Illawong Patrick in the Trotters Handicap and An Alliance in the three-year-old, both horses trained by his father, Ross.

Feature race on Monday was the $9500 Ken Miller Memorial Pace Final, from qualifying heats at Warragul on May 22.

Cranbourne trainer Jayne Davies won the event with Ravello Rock, driven by Nathan Jack.

The event was a keen contest, with Ravello Rock proving too strong after moving to the position outside the leader mid-race.

Top reinsman Chris Alford drove two winners on Monday, and an intriguing battle between him and Greg Sugars looms for the Warragul Drivers' Premiership with two race meetings left in the current racing season.

Alford drove locally owned and trained two-year-old Rocknroll Pearl to an easy win in the second race.

Trained by Gary Quinlan and raced by the Fusinato family, a daughter of their brilliant race mare Jazzam, Rocknroll Pearl raced away from her rivals in the final circuit to score by 23 metres.

Alford also drove Shartin to win the last race. The filly looked a very good chance of winning the Warragul race, given that she had won the Tasmanian Oaks at her previous start!

Punters were scratching their heads after Lanista won the sixth race, at odds of almost 50/1 on the tote.

Red hot favourite Professor Tom was beaten for the second Warragul meeting in a row, but should bounce back for connections soon.

Local trots followers won't have to take an annual leave day for the next Warragul meeting – it is a Sunday program, featuring the Traralgon Pacing Cup, on July 23.

Kyle Galley