There’s nothing quite like that winning feeling!

Victorian hobby trainer Rod Carberry jokes that the thrill of a harness racing win is pretty shortlived – but he’s enjoying every moment of the good run he’s having.

“I always say that it’s about 10 seconds after a race win that you experience that fantastic thrill, and you can’t buy that feeling.  But then you turn around and it’s back to the work of trying to find the next one,” he joked.

“It’s not much, is it?  But I love it!”

And after a win at Hamilton last week, it will be well and truly back to work today for Carberry, 60, when he sends out four runners at his home-track meeting at Horsham.

“We’ve got four in work at the moment, which is probably one too many for us, but you never actually expect them all to be happy and healthy and ready to go at the one time!” he said.

“I’ve never actually had four runners at a meeting before, so it’ll be busy, but they’re all nice horses and I’ll have plenty of help, so hopefully it’ll be a good day.”

Carberry won at Hamilton (Sept 22) with his reliable four-year-old Vinny Rock (Pet Rock), driven by Kerryn Manning – and went close to recording a double, when Curyo Gentleman (Shadow Play) was defeated by a short-half head in the 3yo pace.

Earlier in the month (Sept 14) Carberry ran third with 2yo first-starter Sportsbou (Sportswriter) a horse he bred with his good friend Rob Connelly.

“We raced her mother together Bou Chard (Live Or Die) and she was a lovely mare – she’s probably the best I’ve trained, I think.  She won eight races, including the 2016 Vicbred silver series,” he said.

“This one is her first foal, and I really think she’s going to make a nice horse too.”

Bou Chard is a half-sister to Vinny Rock (four wins) and Curyo Gentleman (one win) from the Safely Kept mare Doutzen (two wins) who are all engaged at Horsham.  All four of Doutzen’s foals have been winners, with the other being Fourth In Line (Grinfromeartoear), which won four.

The only one of the team from outside the Doutzen line is 2yo filly The Naked Art (Art Major), who will have her first start at Horsham.

“All we hope with first starters is that they get around safe, do everything right, and she does seem to do that,” he said.

Carberry, Connelly and another friend Terry Arnell work the team at Carberry’s three-and-a-half-acre property on the south side of Horsham.

“All of us really do the work together and it’s great in that way.  I’ve got a 400-metre track and we’re there every morning early, we jog the horses then it’s off to work,” he said.

“I got into the trots through my (late) dad Max, who was always involved.  I got my driver’s licence at 16, then finished driving in around 1998 and have just trained ever since.

“Dad trained back in the days when you could have a horse at home in the back yard, and that’s what he did. He worked them out along the roads.  He didn’t have a lot of success, but he had a horse back in the 1980s called Urquhart Boy who won a few for him.”

Prior to getting back to the races in September, Carberry had not raced since July and said he’d had a frustrating season with setbacks.

“We thought we were ready to go with Curyo Gentleman back in April, but we’ve just had some ongoing issues with colds and viruses along the way. They are all healthy and happy and rearing to go now, so fingers crossed,” he laughed.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink