Passionate Victorian harness racing trainer Luke Tabone recently notched up his 50th career winner – and it came courtesy of a newcomer to his team.
Eight-year-old mare Illawong Phoenix made an immediate impact, working to the front at Hamilton on Monday (July 14) and scoring impressively with astute reinsman Jason Lee in the sulky.
“She was a bit unlucky not to have won at her first start for us three weeks earlier at Shepparton when she went down by a head,” Tabone said.
“I thought she was sort of waiting for them at that first run for me, so I made a few gear changes in between and her latest effort was much better.”
Tabone purchased Illawong Phoenix and her stablemate Illawong Danny (Rock N Roll Heaven) about a month ago after spotting them for sale online.
“I used to see them go around mostly at Cranbourne, Kilmore and Geelong. They were always pretty honest for Alan,” Tabone said, referring to their previous trainer Alan Ratnasingham.
“I was looking for another one or two horses and spotted them on the Trading Ring site, so they came along at the right time.”
Illawong Phoenix, bred by the late Dr Martin Hartnett, has now won 12 races with 41 placings and more than $92,000 in stakes.
While Illawong Danny’s recent form has dipped, Tabone remains optimistic.
“I think he’ll turn it around. He’s goes along okay.”
The 26-year-old is assisted by his father Jeff at their 120-acre property at Ingliston, near Bacchus Marsh.
“We moved here in mid-2023. There’s a 900-metre track, a barn and it’s all going well. There’s still plenty more to do, but we’ll get there,” he said.
Jeff Tabone was a highly successful horseman in his own right, preparing standout pacers like Cruz NZ (29 wins) and Chaslee NZ (14 wins).
Luke enjoyed a breakout season in 2024 with 16 winners and 39 placegetters and is tracking just as well this season with 10 wins and 13 placings to date.
“I was thrilled to get my 50th winner – I just hope it doesn’t take me that long to get my next 50!” he said.