There were emotional scenes at Geelong Harness Racing Club on Wednesday night as veteran trainer-driver Bob Kuchenmeister won a race struck in honour of his late great mate.
Kuchenmeister prepared squaregaiting mare Leanne Leeann to claim her sixth career success with a tough front-running display in the Jack Powles Memorial Trotters Handicap (2570m).
Friends and family of Powles, a passionate harness racing man and successful breeder, were on track to witness the result, which was made even more special by the fact he bred the five-year-old before his passing.
The 81-year-old Kuchenmeister said it was special to win a race named in Powles' honour and paid credit to his mare for her performance.
"It was a frightening thing because Brett Shipway (Di Li) wouldn’t give up to me and I raced her hard down the front straight the first time. I thought I'd cooked the horse, gone too hard to get the front," Kuchenmeister said.
"I just turned her off going around the turn and half-way down the back, and she grabbed the bit and said 'let's race'.
"We raced from the front and did a good job."
Leanne Leeann had two-and-a-half metres to spare over Andy Gath-trained runner-up Easy Pickings, with that pair spacing the rest of the field.
There were lovely scenes on the track post-race, with family and friends posing for a photo with the horse, who carried the winning rug.
"All the girls (Powles’ daughters) were there and a couple of their husbands," Kuchenmeister said.
"Carmen, Jack's wife, came out on the track with tears in her eyes and (was) smiling."
Leanne Leeann is by Danny Bouchea out of another mare Powles bred by the name of Possum Point, who Kuchenmeister trained for the final 10 starts of her career.
* picture courtesy Geelong Harness Racing Club
WATCH LEANNE LEEANN WIN THE JACK POWLES MEMORIAL TROTTERS HANDICAP BELOW: