The Brett Pay-trained son of Major In Art had debuted at Parkes on May 17 but pulled up “a little lame” after that effort.

A short break ensued before he returned against the older horses yesterday.

While he gave up age and size, he had them covered for heart and determination, fighting off plenty of attacks to secure a one-metre win for young driver Madison Reynolds.

“He’s quite a nice little horse,”  Reynolds said.

The 20-year-old driver is a final-year apprentice electrician and, with his father Peter, has half a dozen pacers in work.

“He’s got plenty of growing to do but he’s got a bit of bottom to him.

“They got into him early today but he kept plugging. 

“He’s got good gate speed for a baby too.”

It was a good day for visiting trainers, with Queensland-based Lola Weidemann driving a treble.

She won with Itaintrocketscience and then snuck up the inside to win the ECO Inn Warners Bay Pace (1609m) with Dancing Cam before annexing the seventh with Pepperall.

“I did want to lead but I ended up getting a good trail,”  Weidemann told track interviewer Mark Lowe after the second of the three wins.

“I had a bit of luck on the inside and he hugged close to the fence and finished it off good.”

Lola and her sister Julie Weidemann are regular visitors to Tamworth from their Clifton base, near Toowoomba.

Moonbi trainer-driver Dean Chapple also snared a winning driving double when, after partnering Ian “Ernie” Mabbott’s Kemira Cause to success in the TAB Rewards Pace, he piloted Artsu to an easy win in the TAB App Pace (1609m), making up for a disastrous day  with Artsu and his other runners at last Friday night’s Newcastle meeting.

“We had a miserable night,” he said  yesterday after Kemira Cause’s win. “Hopefully we’ll go better today.”

Artsu led all the way and returned to her best after finishing a plugging fifth at Newcastle.