A passion for harness racing blended with a fortunate property purchase and set the foundation for a first-year trainer to capture a prized Cup.

Andrew German's fourth training victory was a country feature after he took out the Gunbower Family Hotel Pacing Cup on Sunday afternoon with his gelding All Da Rage.

The four-year old managed to dive home three-wide to win by a half-neck with Alex Ashwood in the sulky. 

“It was a beautiful drive,” the 58-year-old said. “Three fenced around the corner to get him off the pegs and to get him wound up it was a 10 out of 10 drive that’s for sure.”

The Red Cliffs trainer celebrated the win and taking home a share of the $12,000 prize pool with his family.

“I’m pretty happy with myself,” he said. “I came to my daughter’s place after Gunbower and had a few beers last night, which was good.”

German is no stranger to success at Gunbower, having teamed with trainer Rodney Petroff and driver Chris Alford as an owner to win six years prior.

“I feel really, really good, especially taking out the Gunbower Cup after his half-brother, Brocks Territory, won it in 2017,” he said. “So, it was good to get the second one.

“I bred him (All Da Rage), I bred his mother Hush Hush Lombo, who is the mother of Brocks Territory as well. He’s a really nice horse.” 

German has only recently taken to training, with Sunday’s triumph his fourth career win.

“I’ve owned horses for over 10 years and always paid trainers, but I bought a property over at Mildura after shifting up there a couple of years ago and it had a trotting track on it,” he said.

“I thought I might start jogging the horses up before I send them away and it’s just gone on from there and I kept going and trained them myself. It has had its moments; I think I’ve had more good times than bad times.”

Though he’s got a prized Cup now on the shelf German is happy to take each day as it comes.
“I don’t have any sort of bucket lists or anything I want to win. I just tick along with good horses and only train horses that I own or bred,” he said

“As long as they keep running up to their ability it will be good.”

But, having said that, the Red Cliffs trainer is hopeful of adding a few more country cups to his mantlepiece. 

“I’ve nominated him for Melton on Friday night and then we will hopefully be heading towards the Echuca Cup and the Cobram Cup,” he said. “They will be the two races for him hopefully after Christmas.”