Keeping Pace: Mitchell Faulkner tastes first success in new profession

One Of The Kind won at the Dalby meeting last Sunday, with jockey Skye Bogenhuber on board.

"It was great having my first winner as a thoroughbred trainer," said Faulkner. "I am living up near Gatton in Queensland and training out of Ipswich."

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Faulkner was granted his trainer's licence by Racing NSW in April and has had 11 starters for one win, two seconds and two thirds.

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We can inform that three of the six retired pacers - chosen to have new careers away from the track - are being prepared nicely for careers in campdrafting.

It is part of the Nutrien Equine and NSW Harness Re-Homing Company venture.

The three retired standardbreds will compete at the Nutrien Classic Campdraft & Sale at ALEC in late January.

Mondo Sport is being retrained for campdraft by Brett Welsh.

Mondo Sport was formerly raced by Tamworth owners Maurice and Wendy Mondolo, and commenced his career under the guidance of Michael Formosa before a stint in South Australia and then back to Tamworth and trainer Ashlea McKinnon.

Mondo Sports had 100 starts, for 15 wins and 23 minor placings.

Deecaesar is a former Hunter Valley pacer bred by the Proctor family and raced in the Western Districts.

The horse had 84 race starts, for 15 wins and 22 placings, and will be retrained by Scott Bandy.

Unraced Lombo Paper Talk will be retrained by Ian Laurie.

Laurie said Lombo Paper Talk is "extremely quiet" and had "a trainable mind".

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After Mollidor's win at Newcastle last Friday night, the Follow the Stars mare will contest the $12,000 Wandiyali Hunter to Hawkesbury Final this Friday night.

The mare has drawn the one barrier.

Mollidor is trained at Tamworth by Andy Ison and produced an all-the-way win in the fourth heat of the series as the $1.70 favoutite. He produced a tidy mile rate of 2min 00.9sec for 2030m - giving reinsman Tom Ison the first leg of a driving double.

Former North West trainer Rodney James also has a contender in the final, with Fantasy Money.

The horse is raced by Tamworth residents Brendan James, his partner Emily Wilkin and Kudos Tiling's very own Glenn Simpson.

The second of Ison's winning double last week at Newcastle came courtesy of the Neil Kliendienst-trained Rolamax, who paid $5 for the win.

Rolamax is raced by Donna Sutherland and Neil Kliendienst, with the eight-year-old Rock N Roll Heaven gelding picking up his 12th career win from 116 race starts. He has had 21 minor placings.

Rolamax enjoyed a nine-metre win and also clocked his fastest mile rate - 1.54.2 for 1609m.

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