Border hopping could be a bonus

The last time passionate NSW trainer-driver Rikki Cernovskis made the long trek down to compete at a Shepparton harness racing meeting, it didn’t go all that well!

“It was probably more than 10 years ago, and I led up, but my horse found nothing, and I got well and truly beaten. I reckon I finished midfield,” Cernovskis, of Manton, near Yass, said.

“I didn’t take the horse home and left it with a local trainer!”

But another nine-hour return trip isn’t daunting Cernovskis who is border hopping, with the main aim of picking up a lucrative VicBred bonus with a beautifully bred first-starter she owns and trains, Odaiba (Art Major) in the opening race at tonight’s meeting (Feb 8).

Cernovskis will then partner Lulu Mae (Sweet Lou) in the following race, who is raced by her parents John and Lesley O’Sullivan, and trained by her sister Kristie.

“When I told Kristie I was taking Odaiba down to race, she said I may as well throw Lulu Mae in as a travelling companion—and she comes out of barrier two which is handy,” Cernovskis said.

“Originally my plan was to look at somewhere else to race, but for one reason or another, it didn’t work out. It will be fun because my dad has put up his hand to come on the trip as strapper,” she said.

“Mum and dad actually met at the races. Mum was one of the first female trainers in NSW and also drove in gymkhanas. Dad was a trainer-driver for a long time and raced at places like Canberra, Young and Cowra.”

Odaiba is a three-year-old, and out of a broodmare named Soho Tokyo.  Odaiba’s grand dam is Pelicanrama, who won 55 races for Peter Manning and retired with stakes of $730,000.  The former champion racemare was 1999 two-year-old of the year, winning a record 18 races that season including the Australian Pacing Gold, NSW Sires Stakes, Pink Bonnet and Tatlow Memorial.

“I bought Odaiba at the first Nutrien sale really as a broodmare proposition.  She’s named after an artificial island in Japan,” Cenovskis said.

“She’s been trialing at Goulburn and going nicely. She’s improving all the time, which is nice, so fingers crossed,” she said.

“I don’t train many now because we have two children who are at school – Lucy is 8, and Harry is 6. I’ve probably had my driving license for over 20 years, but I haven’t had the time to do a lot of driving in recent years.”

But Rikki showed fine touch at the Canberra meeting last Sunday (Feb 5) with an all-the-way win with Ellas Reason (For A Reason) in the $6936 Oskar Memorials Pace. She also trains the pacer, owned by her parents.

“We’re really enjoying being at our new place. It’s kind of all-in now with my husband Dean having six or seven, while both Kristie and I have a few each. Kristie is a public servant in Canberra but comes out at weekends and works like 10 men!

“We’ve got another sister who owns a bit of acreage with her husband, so they help out looking after some of our horses at times.”

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink