.jpg)
Ellen Tormey has joined a who’s who of Australasian harness racing on the Decron Horse Care Noel Smith Memorial Horsham Invitation Drivers Championship honour roll.
Tormey dominated the 2023 series on Monday – winning two of the four legs on the Horsham Harness Racing Club feature day.
She finished ahead of Anthony Butt, with defending champion Jack Laugher third in the 10-strong line-up.
Tormey, 32, won the first two races on the Bec East-trained I Betuwantano and Alex Ashwood-prepared Major Fire. She capped off the day with a second and third.
Butt went into the last leg needing to win on Dougs Platter for trainer Geoff Webster to have any chance of catching Tormey.
He won on the three-year-old, but Tormey made sure the championship remained in her keeping with a top three finish.
Michael Bellman won the third leg on Ourmatemenko for trainer Shane Sanderson.
Tormey joins some of the greats to have won the series since it was first staged in 1990, including the late Gavin Lang, now US-based New Zealander Dexter Dunn, Brian Gath, Chris Alford, Kerryn Manning and WA’s Gary Hall junior.
This year’s championship was contested exclusively by Victorian-based drivers.
Final points standings: Ellen Tormey 39, Anthony Butt 34, Jack Laugher 27, Kerryn Manning 25, Jason Lee 24, Michael Bellman 20, Chris Alford 19, Ryan Sanderson 19, John Justice 18, John Caldow 16.
