It's beginning to look a lot like…
For the majority of the world the end of that sentence is something along the lines of “Christmas, toys in every store”.
Within harness racing it is “Vicbred, Emma Stewart winners in every stall!”
Stewart has turned the futurity into her own pet project in recent seasons, dominating the series like no other.
In 2018 Stewart won 24 of the 34 pacing qualifiers across the three age categories before capturing five Group 1 finals.
It was a similar scenario in 2019, with Stewart and her partner, Clayton Tonkin, winning 23 of the 34 heats and semis before again securing five finals.
In 2020 Stewart was triumphant in 10 of the 17 heats and seven of the 11 semis in which she had a runner before winning three Group 1 finals.
As you would guess, 2021 wasn’t much different, with Stewart registering 14 wins from 27 qualifiers before annexing three Group 1 finals.
It was deja vu in ’22, with Stewart victorious in 19 of 32 qualifiers, with wins in three Group 1 finals.
This season’s edition kicked off in Kilmore last night, with Stewart’s squad winning four of the five two-year-old heats.
Stewart’s haul also includes a trifecta, quinella and two thirds, with 11 members of the stable qualifying for the semis!
Kingman, Bay of Biscay, Stormryder and Vague Beauty were Stewart’s success stories, while Geoff Webster produced the night's only other Vicbred winner in Elusive. The second heat for two-year-old fillies was abandoned due to a horse fall.
“Our stable is predominantly Vicbreds, so naturally we have a strong focus on the series,” Stewart said. “Last night was a very good night for the team and more importantly our owners.
“They all put in good runs and hopefully they can do the same in the semis and make their way into the finals.”