Balmoral trainer Janet Exell is happily carrying on a family dynasty started by her grandfather, Arthur, and carried on by her father, Ken. 

Ken trained in the Wimmera town of Goroke for years, as did Arthur, but when he passed away three years ago Janet took out her trainer's licence and continued the family's green silk colours. 

Last night five-year-old trotting gelding Show Me The Moolah, trained by Janet, won the Southwest Conveyancing Trotters Handicap over 2180m with Jason Ainsworth in the sulky.  

Janet, who also has show horses that she takes around the country for competition, now has five in work and has won eight races since taking up her trots licence in 2016-17.

“My dad passed away three years ago and that’s when I decided I’d take out my trainer’s licence,” Janet said.

“I’d always worked horses with him ever since I was big enough to be able to hold the reins. I got my licence because I wanted to keep his colours going because he got those when he was 16 in 1949.”

Show Me The Moolah has now won three races for Janet this year, and that number could be higher as the son of Allawart Ray – a Wimmera trotter who actually contested an Inter Dominion at Harold Park and ran third behind Pride of Petite in a heat of the 1998 Australasian Trotting Championship – has made mistakes at his two runs between those wins.

Janet said Show Me The Moolah was “a difficult animal”.

“He’s really anxious. He pulls hard. Even at home I try and keep him relaxed but he just wants to go flat out the whole time. I have broken in many, many, many harness horses in my time and he is the slowest and dumbest learner I’ve ever had,” she said.

“I’ve persisted because I always knew he had talent, but he’s tested my patience to the nth degree. I used to spend all my times at the trials getting off a bar. He’d break, break, break, break.

“But I’ve tried to do things differently at home to settle him down. And Jason (Ainsworth) is a lovely fella and he’s been listening. He’s a great guy.

“Ray Holbertson has also been a huge help. Since my father passed away Ray has helped me so much.”

But the penny appears to be dropping with Show Me The Moolah.

“I used to get frustrated and upset. I knew he was fast and could do good things. He hasn’t actually been put under any real pressure yet,” Janet said.

Janet’s other trotter, Keepthedream, which ran third to Show Me The Moolah last night, will be retired to a breeding career at the end of the season.

“She’s been so reliable, the ‘beautiful redhead’,” she said.

“She’s off to stud at the end of the season and will go to Great Success.”

Kolovos scored success first-up for Aaron Dunn, the latest of Stevie Blacker’s stable acquisitions – a Bettors Delight gelding out of New Zealand, in the Warrnambool Hydraulics Pace.

Kolovos rated 2:01.7 to defeat Sporty Culture as a short-priced favourite.

Peter and Kerryn Manning combined to win the Cervus Equipment Terang 2YO Pace with Alta Christiano filly Jaziah, which rated 1:56.7 to upstage Keayang Kamikaze by 2.4m.

Dunn and Blacker doubled up in the Mt Noorat Freighters 3YO Pace with three-year-old Art Major colt Silent Major upstaging Kowalski Analysis in 1:59.6.

Impressive Shadow Play colt Troubadour continued his rise with victory in the Morsbearings Pace for trainer Jeff McLean. Driven by son Tim, Troubadour showed enormous depth to lift off the canvas from the home turn for a 1.9m win in the breeze over Jilliby Galwaygirl in 2:00.1.

Trotter Travel Bug took out the Terang Co-Op Rural Store Handicap over 2180m from the stand for Jason McNaulty and James Herbertson. The four-year-old Dream Vacation gelding defeated champion Sparkling Success by 4.7m, the latter starting from a 40-metre handicap, with the winner off 20m.

Driver Sofia Arvidsson produced a peach of a steer aboard Crime Writer to take out the Phonse Hickey Memorial Plate for trainer Matthew Craven. Initially leading, Crime Writer took cover when Jackie Barker made a dashing move aboard Im Sir Blake with a lap to go. Crime Writer sprinted sharply up the lane late to score a 3m win over Stroke Of Luck in 1:58.4.

 

 

 

 

Jilliby Sylvester took out the last race, the Goodtime Lodge Pace, for Marg Lee and Jason Lee by a short half-head in 1:56.1 over Rollova.

Trainer Brent Lilley was the dominant force at Kilmore last night, training four winners.

Lilley produced Here Comes Kyvalley to claim the MC Labour 2YO Trotters Handicap, Robbie Royale to win the Kilmore Trackside Trot, Kyvalley Clichy to capture the North Central Review Trot, and talented fast-class pacer Sicario for success in the Momentum Gaming Pace.

Three of the four winners were driven by champion reinsman Chris Alford, with Brad Chisholm aboard Kyvalley Clichy.

Charlie Farrugia and Darren Zahra combined to win the Beraldo Coffee Pace by a head to open the program, the eight-year-old son of Safari narrowly defeating Lola Montez.

Express Beauty won the Bendigo Club 3YO Pace for in-form trainer-driver David Miles, the daughter of Art Major well too good for her rivals in 1:58.1.

Red White An Bloom won the Jet Roofing 3YO Trot for trainer-driver Chris Lang by a neck over Van Sank, while Nota Replica for Lisa Miles was victorious in the C & M Build Group Pace.

 

First-Starter Form

Your guide to today’s debutants

Ballarat Today

Race 2

Beautiful Woman (3yo filly by Art Major out of Kabbalah Karen B, trained by Emma Stewart and driven by Greg Sugars)

Beautifully bred daughter of nine-time winning Western Terror mare, who has produced Our Little General (78 starts, 25 wins, 1:49.8, $685k) and Kasbah Kid (53 starts, 14 wins, 1:54.3, $155k). Beautiful Woman is a full-sister to Kasbah Kid.

 

Shepparton Tonight

Race 3

Payup Orleave (4yo gelding by Live Or Die out of Orta Be Ruthless, trained by Shane Pangrazio and driven by Josh Aiken)

Out of a 19-time winning mare from 54 starts, this debutant is a half-sister to Weeks End (51 starts, 14 wins, 1:56.8, $84k), Ruthless Armbro (15 wins from 84 starts, 1:53.2, $87k) and Ortabe Good who won three races.

Macwrecker (5yo gelding by Grinfromeartoear out of Illawong Katrina, trained by Fiona Widdup and driven by David Moran)

Out of a maiden mare, who was a daughter of Presidential Ball. The dam has produced one to the races, Illawong Knight, who won two races.