SOME may say Believe In Heaven produced a miracle in taking out the opening event at the Tamworth harness meeting on Thursday - the first meeting for the new racing season.
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The Rock N Roll Heaven sired six-year-old gelding notched up his second career win, in his 42nd start, with the last win coming at Bankstown in August 2017.
Trained out of the Tony Missen stables at Tamworth, Believe In Heaven was on debut for the stables, as well as his new owners in Joy Missen and Betty Pollard, who saw a first-up win at their first racing engagement.
"Joy is the assistant trainer now," trainer Tony Missen said of his wife.
"Joy is doing all the track work with the horse - after 15 years she said 'get me a horse' and now she has got her own ticket.
"She has missed the win today, which is disappointing as she had to work."
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Missen engaged the services of reinsman Tom Ison with Believe In Heaven starting from the seven barrier.
"It was a good, hard drive and they had a pretty good last half," Missen said.
"When they walked early it suited the front runners and a win's a win.
"I thought he had a chance from the barrier draw.
"He is a funny horse and Tommy has driven him before - as soon as the bell rang, he (Believe in Heaven) wanted to stop - he's no super -star we know that."
With Shez Got Bling (Blake Hughes) leading the field from the one barrier, Fantasy Money (Brendan James) raced out in the breeze, while Believe In Heaven raced in on the leaders back.
Tom Ison said he was used to the idiosyncrasies of Believe In Heaven.
"I have driven the horse before down at Maitland and it was the same thing - a long way from home he spat the bit - but I wasn't too worried," he said.
"I didn't want to come three-wide at the 400m, so we just waited and we got the inside run."
Believe In Heaven made the most of that inside run when Shez Got Bling drifted out on the final turn allowing Believe in Heaven to pick up the win.
"I didn't think we quite made it - it was only just," Ison said.