Easy-going Bendigo harness racing trainer Shaun McNaulty still pinches himself when he recalls the day he received a telephone call "out of the blue".
McNaulty said he didn't recognize the number at all, but when the caller started chatting about a horse named Hashtag he immediately took notice.
"I used to watch Hashtag probably from when he first of all started racing for (Shepparton trainer) Laura Crossland," McNaulty said.
"He'd do a few things wrong, but there was always plenty of bottom to him," he said.
Crossland won 10 races with the pacer before he was transferred to the Sydney stables of Craig Cross, who won three. Hashtag then headed to Queensland for a stint with Grant Dixon which produced one victory.
Then connections-the Charantoss Racing Syndicate-decided it was time for Hashtag to return to Victoria.
"That was my lucky day when I took the call from Charles Merola, who was ringing on behalf of the syndicate made up of 10 mates. The horse is undoubtedly the best I've ever had," McNaulty said.
And Hashtag (Shadyshark Hanover-Elvira Bromac (Badlands Hanover) showed just why he's so highly-rated by McNaulty with a brilliant performance at Bendigo on Wednesday night.
The brown gelding stopped the clock in winning the $12,000 Garrards Horse and Hound Pace in a time of 1.51-9, equalling the track record set back in February by the Maree Campbell-trained gelding Belittled.
"We really had the best run in the race, sitting on the fence behind the two leaders, and they kept the pace on. The track is on fire at the moment, but the front ones didn't back off," McNaulty said.
Streitkid (Shannon O'Sullivan) led with Form Analyst (Tayla French) up on the outside. Both horses were stirred up and pulling hard with the first quarter a blistering 26.2secs, followed with splits of 28.0, 28.2 and 29.4.
Recent comeback driver Rod Lakey shot Hashtag up the sprint lane to record an easy win over Courageous Saint and Animated, the latter certainly being one to follow after charging home from the clouds.
Driver Rod Lakey with Hashtag
McNaulty said his pacer had a perfect attitude, with an unbelievable desire to win.
"He just tries his heart out every time and loves getting out there. He's an absolute ripper. I'd compare him to one of those blokes that you always want to go to the pub with!" McNaulty laughed.
Hashtag joined the Marong stable of McNaulty last August and has since won four races-the others being at Melton (twice) and Mildura.
"I had planned on taking him up the highway to Mildura again for the Pacing Cup Carnival. But that got scrubbed with the coronavirus pandemic," he said.
"With the regionalisation racing restrictions we haven't any option but to keep racing him at Bendigo, but that's okay because there are going to be some interesting battles ahead with Animated because he's certainly one of the best in the area at the moment."
Gifted reinsman Rod Lakey, who recently returned to race driving after an absence of more than a decade, went home with a double.
Apart from Hashtag, he was also successful with the Lynne Mercieca prepared pacer Art Finest (Art Official-Finest (D M Dillinger).
Terry Gange
NewsAlert PR Mildura