Revelstoke win helps Duffy repay new boss

Ryan Duffy landed his first winner for the formidable Yabby Dam Farms stable since taking up employment there when he partnered Revelstoke (Quaker Jet) to harness racing victory in the Aldebaran Park Trot at Melton Entertainment Park on Saturday night.

Duffy managed to slot the mare one out two back in the running line from her wide draw before staking a claim in the home stretch and the daughter of Quaker Jet got up to score by half a neck from Parisian Artiste.

The 28-year-old Duffy admitted he is chuffed to be offered a position at the stable’s Ballarat base.

“I’m very fortunate to pick up a job with them and have the opportunity to get on a horse like her tonight, so it’s a pretty exciting time for me,” Duffy said.

Duffy agreed he couldn’t have scripted the race any better.

“The race couldn’t have panned out any better for me. I lobbed one out, two back doing nothing and when Mercenary gave ground, I was the only one who was going to run the leader down,” he said.

“I was pretty confident as she has got all the ability in the world and is a very resilient horse and her credit she knuckled down and picked it up pretty well.”

Earlier in the night, the Donna Castles-trained and driven mare Berriesandcherries finally broke her metropolitan ‘duck’ when she rallied along the sprint lane to take out the APG Maiden Trot.

Castles produced the drive of the night not going around a horse in the run instead opting to stick to the pegs which ultimately won her the race.

The seven-year-old had previously finished runner up on three occasions at Melton in search of metropolitan success.

Castles said the pair played the ‘blame game’ in past attempts at headquarters.

“She deserved it, sometimes I blame myself and she blames herself so that’s why we keep getting beaten,” Castles said.

Castles said she made the decision to drive Berriesandcherries conservatively from her outside front row draw.

“I decided to drive her quietly from the back from a tricky gate tonight and she was good and hit the line well,” she said.

“She was tracking down the straight pretty straight this week and she’ll only get better with that run and she’s hit the $100,000 mark now.”

For complete race results, click here.

by John Dunne, for Harness Racing Victoria