Cessnock-based reinsman Danny Gibson is on a three-from-three winning mission in the JC Caffyn Indigenous Plate at Tamworth Paceway on Friday night.
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Gibson will contest the final two heats of the JC Caffyn Indigenous Plate – and he has special memories of the Tamworth track going way back.
After driving a winner at the opening meeting of the series at Wagga, Gibson backed up at Parkes last Sunday to snatch another win.
“I’m looking forward to heading back to Tamworth for sure,” he said.
“I drove my first two winners as a kid at Tamworth back in 1975 – four weeks before my 17th birthday.
“I drove Sedate Pride for my father and we won on the Saturday night and won by 20 metres and then on the Monday night won by 10 metres.”
With horses unknown to the drivers and supplied by local trainers in the Indigenous series, the reinsmen only get to meet their charges as they head out to the track.
Gibson commenced his winning streak in the series with Onthestraitenarrow at the Wagga meeting.
“I was very happy with that win,” he said. “The horse was going well and if he got the right run he would get the bickies.
“I had a look at his previous race runs and I’m lucky that I can get on a horse cold and assess them.”
Kamwppd Izzy then produced the Parkes winner for Gibson.
“I was lucky again,” he said. “She is a nice mare [Kamwood Izzy] and when you get on a horse with a lot of ability it makes it a hell of a lot easier.”
On Friday night Gibson will take the reins behind Jimmy Nga in heat five. The horse is trained by Lacey Hinze in Queensland.
He will then steer A Rocknroll Legacy from the Stacie Elliott stables in the Hunter Valley.
Gibson has seen the series grow since its inception and he has tasted the big prize.
“I love anything that introduces me to new people – the more people you meet the more enriched you are,” he said.
“This is my fifth year in the series and it has grown. I won the Menangle race back in 2014.”
From humble beginnings, the JC Caffyn Plate has grown and incorporates heats conducted at regional tracks before heading to Menangle for the final as part of the Menangle Fishers Ghost meeting.
“We love it,” Gibson said. “This year Matt Coffee from Dubbo has joined in and he was at Wagga as well.
“We need to get a whole bunch of young ones to be able to be involved. Us old ones – Bruce O’Brien and Jeff Brown and myself – we will be out of action soon.
“It is great, as between all the drivers we all get on good – that’s off the track – not on it,” he added, joking.
“I am looking forward to another win and if it presents itself that would be good, but I have been extremely lucky in this series.”