A 40-1 chance with bookmakers and paying $54.70 on the NSW TAB, the Jimboomba gelding made trainer-driver Ricky Thurlow’s first trip to Tamworth Paceway a memorable one.

“He had all the luck,” Thurlow said of an eight-year-old who beat Artstandin (5-1) by a neck with race favourite and Bendemeer gelding Churchill Bromac (5-2) 5.5m away third.

“I had planned to drive him for luck though,” Thurlow continued.

“He’s got a turn of speed and got all the breaks.”

He elected to “go back” from his mobile two barrier and followed Churchill Bromac through.

While the Dean Chapple-driven gelding skirted wide, Thurlow kept finding runs where everyone was going wide.

It was Tiger Island’s seventh career win and followed his second in the heat on Monday where the trifecta paid $10,000.

Last night’s trifecta paid just over $1200.

Earlier in the evening, Anna Bay gelding Torida El won the Pryde’s EasiFeed Golden Guitar Consolation (1980m) by 10.5m.

Trained by 80-year-old Tom Frost, she was driven by Rodney Atkins.

“He’s a nice horse,” Atkins said.

“He’s very strong. I was lucky to get a drive on a horse like him.”

Immediately after the Golden Guitar Consolation the Tamworth club ran the novel match race between young athlete Ben Allen, cyclist Mitch Carrington and Tamworth trainer/driver Tony Missen and his gelding Bad Trouble.

Allen, 15, won by about 15m from Carrington with Bad Trouble third.

“I was in trouble a long way from home,” Missen said.

“I couldn’t catch Mitch, let alone young Ben.”

Carrington had a similar story.

“I never looked like catching Ben,” he said.

He had predicted Allen would be the danger in The Leader earlier in the week.

Allen was delighted with his 54secs time too.

“My best on the tartan is 52secs,” he said.

He will run in the 100m and 400m Country Championships at Glendale today and the 200m tomorrow.

He won the Country 400m title last year and is fit for more success.

He said last night’s match race was a good warm-up for the weekend.

“It was something different,” Allen said.

“The track was a bit uneven but I was happy to go that fast.”