Highway to Horsham reaps rewards

When dynamic mother and son harness racing duo Marg and Jason Lee make the trip up the highway to Horsham, they don’t often miss their mark – as demonstrated by last season’s Horsham premiership titles.

Based at Ecklin South, near Terang, it’s about a three-hour road trip, but the Lees have established an enviable strike rate at the Wimmera track, with their handy pacer Highway To Heaven leading the way.

Marg took out the Horsham Betta Home Living Trainers award with eight wins and three second-placings from 14 starters, while Jason collected the Claire Weston Photography Drivers title. He landed 10 winners with 10 placings from 43 drives.

Other 2021 season award winners at Horsham included Aaron Dunn who took out the Cruisers Car Wash local trainers award for his 22 starters at the track for two wins, four second-placings and three thirds. Ballarat young gun James Herbertson was too good in Conaways Greg Smith Memorial Concession Drivers Award with six wins, five seconds and eight third placings from 33 outings.

But it was undoubtedly the Lees who dominated, also collecting the Nat’s Rug & Harness Horse Of The Year award, thanks to a one hundred percent strike rate by speedy pacer Highway To Heaven.

“It was a pretty good season as far as I was concerned-although you always like it to be a bit better!” Marg said.

“We won some nice races and two of our horses in Keayang Livana and Code Bailey took awards at the annual Horse of the Year night.

“There’s 25 horses in work at the moment, but we’re always busy because we have the dairy cows to manage as well.”

Five-year-old pacer Highway To Heaven (Christian Cullen-Last Port Of Call (Live Or Die) has proved a revelation since being purchased from New Zealand. The gelding has had 21 starts for eight wins and five placings.

“He is a smart horse and hasn’t been far away in his five runs since returning from a let-up. His next start is at Melton tomorrow night,” Marg said.

Highway To Heaven is raced by Australian Football League identities Darcy Gardiner, Lewis Taylor and Ryan Lester, along with Claudia, Kieran and Annie Lee; James Reicha, and the Levarg Racing Group.

The Lee camp was also thrilled by sensational trotting mare Keayang Livana’s first-up run for five months (fifth beaten 12m in the Cochrane Cup) at Ballarat a fortnight ago.

Keayang Livana (Imperial Count-Poignant (Sundon), who has an imposing record of 12 wins and six placings for over $167,000 in stakes, has drawn awkwardly tonight at Melton in barrier 11 in the first heat of the What The Hill Great Southern Star. The stabke will be hoping she can go through and earn a spot in the G1 Southern Star Final of $300,000, to be run three hours later.

Bred by Kevin Newbound and purchased for $8500 at the 2017 Australasian Premier Trotting Sale, Keayang Livana has had success in the G1 $100,000 VicBred 4yo Final, the G2 Matriarch, the G2 4yo Breeders Crown and the G3 La Coocaracha FFA.

Marg, who began training over 20 years ago, has prepared 602 winners which includes an impressive seven Group One victories. During the past seven seasons she has topped the 50 mark on six occasions.

Twenty-six-year-old Jason has swept all before him after obtaining his driving licence in 2011/12. He is sitting on 923 career wins with 15 of these being Group Ones. He’s won stakemoney of $8,447,267.

Jason has driven over 100 winners in each of the past six seasons.

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink