The Peter Munsie-trained-and- driven gelding was headed in the straightbut fought back to win the Tamworth Trophy Supplies Pace.

His Uralla trainer-driver had to use the talented seven-year-old son of Art Major up early to cross and lead his opponents. 

Then he paced three quick 400m sectionals of 28.9secs, 29.9secs and 29.1secs to lead the field home.

A final 30.9secs stopped the clock at 1min 58.8secs but not The Artful Dodger.

He was headed by Cobla Stuie in the straight.

“Cobla Stuie headed us,”  Munsie agreed.

“But I asked him for one bit more in the last 10 or 15m.”

And the winner of two of his previous 10 starts snared win number three by a nose.

However that wasn’t the end of the story as The Artful Dodger gave Munsie a post-race performance he wasn’t ready for.

While waiting for the water cart to go by, Munsie was tipped out of the gig by a fractious gelding who then bolted across the track.

In the tie-up stalls later, a noticeably exhausted and stressed gelding gave Munsie and his helpers plenty of nervous and caring, careful moments.

“It didn’t look good,” Munsie said the next day.

“But he was okay. 

“I don’t know what it was, heat exhaustion or what. 

“But he might have got his tongue over the bit and might have half swallowed it.

“He smashed the gig and I hit my head too.”

He had blood filtering out of the bridge of his nose after the incident but that was the least of his worries.

“Yeah, the beak’s a bit sore but nothing a bit of time won’t fix,” he said.

“But he’s all right. I put him out in the paddock with the other mare (Artistic Double) and he galloped around the paddock as if nothing had happened.”

While The Artful Dodger claimed a third win at his 11th start,  Artistic Double beat all bar the Julie Weidemann-trained Isobela Maree in the feature race of the day, the Nevele R Ladyship Classic (1980m).

Artistic Double also set a hot pace which suited driver Lola Weidemann and Isobela Maree.

They were able to sit back and make a winning run from the 400m, surging clear for a 22.25m win from Artistic Double, who beat third-placed Hannahs Freedom by 7.75m.

“She (Isobela Maree) must be a good horse,” Munsie said.

“But we knocked the guts out of the rest of them.”

He’s unsure he will take both pacers to Inverell next Sunday as he has a 90th birthday party to attend.

“David (his son) is definitely going. I’ll just see what happens.

“But we have to support the small clubs too.”

 Inverell  stages a non-TAB meeting this Sunday for which nominations close  at 9.30am tomorrow.