THE local driver ranks have been boosted with the driving debut at Tamworth Paceway on Thursday evening of Jemma Coney.
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Jemma, 17, has joined the stable of her father, Tamworth trainer Greg Coney. She has brought fine credentials into the big league after many years of competing on the mini-trots circuit.
In 2017, she represented NSW at the Mini Trot Championships in New Zealand, she won a Miracle Mile and an Inter Dominion in mini trots, and she won the Champion of Champions mini-trots race in 2016 with her pony Secret Mission.
"I'm excited about my first drive," she said.
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"It has taken me a while to get here but it's good to be able to finally do it. Dad has always had the horses so I think I was always going to do it. I'm grateful that Dad stuck by me and has a nice team of horses to drive."
Jemma, in year 11 at Oxley High, drove Queens Angel, in the Hazells Farm & Fertilizer Services Ladyship Pace.
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AT Newcastle last Friday, two Tamworth trainers had horses in heats of a HRNSW Rewards Series race.
Apollo Bam Bee (Allan Beresford stables) broke through for her first career win, at race start 18, in the second heat. She won by a short half head over race favourite Glen Innes Boy (Jack Callaghan), with A Little Gem (Peter Hedges) seven metres away in third place.
Mini Cam (Danny Mackney stables) finished third in the second heat to Dothedealdylan (Michael Formosa).
It was a quick turn around, with the $10,000 Final conducted on Monday afternoon at Newcastle. Apollo Bam Bee finished second, two metres behind No Risk No Return (Leigh Sutton), with Glen Innes Boy a short half head away in third place.
Mini Cam certainly did it tough, racing four back on the inside running line before racing five wide down the home straight to finish fifth.
As a side note, Mackney's other passion is his award-winning chooks.
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FORMER North West harness participants Len and Christine Clement have achieved that good feeling of training a winner.
Now based at Coolamon, their stables last week trained a quinella at the Wagga meeting, in the TAB Odds & Evens Three-Year-Old Pace.
Jacks Last Hoo Rah (Ellen Bartley) claimed his first win, at race start 11, with Auckland Star (driven by Len) 13 metres adrift in second.
Len has been training for 45 years and this is his first quinella.
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THE 2019/2020 harness racing season will commence at Tamworth Paceway's next meeting, on September 5.
