A driving career years in the making began in the best possible fashion for young horsewoman Hannah Parish on Monday afternoon.
The 20-year-old claimed victory on race debut at Maryborough when she partnered the Clayton Tonkin-trained Miki To Success to win the Benstud Standardbreds Pace.
Parish took luck out of the equation with the short-priced favourite and pushed forward from the back row to a spot outside the leader early in the 1690m event. The son of Always Be Miki put his head in front down the back straight before charging clear to win by nearly 10m on the line.
“It was crazy,” Parish told thetrots.com.au. “It was literally like a dream.
“You go out there and it’s like I just want to get around. Then to actually win it as well – and they’ve gone good times – it’s pretty special.”
Parish has grown up around horses under the guidance of parents David and Desleigh and had her first trial drive some years ago but parked the dream of being a reinswoman to complete an Advanced Diploma of Agribusiness Management at Longerenong College.
“I went to uni for two years, so I wasn’t really driving much until I started working for Aaron Dunn and he had a few go around that he put me on,” Parish said.
“We had a two-year-old when I first started driving and I learned on him, but he did an injury.
“Then not long after, I went to Emma (Stewart) and Clayton’s and Clayton got me driving. The first horse over there I drove was Berisari and I fell in love with him.
“Then it just continued from there.”
Parish recalls a time last week when she realised she’d be having her first drive at the races.
“It was mid-way through the morning and then all of a sudden Clayton goes ‘Hannah, go and look at your engagements’. That’s how I found out I was driving him,” Parish said.
“I’m pretty hard on myself, so I definitely wanted to go good and not stuff it up.”
Immediately after steering Miki To Success to victory, Parish teamed up with Yankee Gambler – a five-year-old pacer trained by her mother – in the final event on the card. Despite finishing sixth past the post, the horse was declared a non-runner for interference caused before the start.
Parish was quick to thank Stewart and Tonkin for their ongoing support, but also expressed gratitude to others that have helped her along the journey.
“Aaron Dunn was a big influence on my driving when I was working for him, and also Allan McDonough and Sam Stewart. They’re just really good mentors as well. They help me every day with my driving,” she said.
