Charlene smiling again after Angel’s Melton victory

A win at Victorian harness racing headquarters with her much-loved gelding Hes Charlies Angel (Sweet Lou) was just the tonic for injured trainer-driver Charlene Gusman on Saturday night.

Gusman is currently recovering from broken ribs sustained in a serious race fall at Shepparton on June 11, and watched on as her partner David Miles guided the four-year-old pacer to a long-awaited victory in the Alabar Vicbred Pace.

The win was the sixth of his career and first since a Vicbred Super Series semi-final late last year.

Miles used TrotsVision to provide an update on Gusman’s condition in the moments after the triumph.

“We didn’t get off the track until an hour and a half after the race,” Miles said.

“She’s doing remarkably well. She’s got four broken ribs and as we all know with ribs, you don’t want to sneeze, cough or laugh. And I don’t know how much cheering she would have been doing then.

“Trying to keep her away from the horses and not do anymore damage is probably the hardest part.”

Miles sent Hes Charlies Angel to the front when the dust settled on the early speed battle and was able to control Saturday night’s race from the head of proceedings.

He looked under siege in the straight, but dug deep in the shadows of the post to hold off Ozzie Playboy and Rocknroll Walla in a three-way photo.

“He was very good tonight,” Miles said.

“He’s probably not quite as good in front. He knocks off, he wants to zig-zag a little bit, he sort of run away from them at the top of the straight and it wasn’t until right near the line where he saw those horses inside his dolly vardens that he actually stuck his head back out again in the last 10 strides and came again.”

Gusman bred and owns the horse, who is named after her late father Charlie.

Miles said the son of Sweet Lou was set to depart for the Queensland winter carnival on Monday.

“He’s headed for The Rising Sun, whether he gets a run or not because he’s been out of the winner’s circle for so long… but there’s a $50,000 consolation on and I think there’s a J C McMullen Memorial after that, so he’s got a couple of races up there that aren’t worth sneezing at,” he said.

Emma Stewart and Mark Pitt enjoyed a night out at Melton with Loco Diablo, Mach Dan and Tempting Tigress all prevailing in their respective races.

Loco Diablo collected career victory three at start four in the Lionheart Security 3YO Pace, Mach Dan kick-started his campaign with a front-running display in the free-for-all Garrards Pace and Tempting Tigress cruised home at short odds in the Benstud Standardbreds Pace.

Young reinsman James Herbertson was the other multiple winner at Melton, stunning punters with a long-odds running double to kick-off the night’s action.

He won the Download TAB App Trot with Danny Mullan-trained Imperial Whiz at $23 and then the Catanach Jewellers Pace with Amy Day’s The Stain at $12.

For complete race results, click here.

by Tim O’Connor, for Harness Racing Victoria