Group 1 double for Team Aiken

05 July 2014 | Cody Winnell
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Trainer David Aiken, Eljaykay Phoenix and Group 1-winning driver Josh Aiken.

Trainer David Aiken, Eljaykay Phoenix and Group 1-winning driver Josh Aiken.

Friday night was a red letter affair for the Aikens.

David Aiken, head of the Avenel operation, trained two Group 1 winners on the opening night of the Vicbred Super Series finals carnival at Tabcorp Park, while his son, Josh, drove his first Group 1 winner aboard the stable’s rising star Eljaykay Phoenix.

The 21-year-old looked totally undaunted against drivers several years his senior, taking Eljaykay Phoenix to the front early, and not panicking when headed by Jodi Quinlan aboard Illawong Armstrong with a lap to go in the two-year-old male trotters’ final.

The pair stayed one-two for the remainder of the race, with Eljaykay Phoenix proving 5.4m too strong in a mile rate of 2:03.8.

“It felt awesome coming around the home turn,” the young driver said after the race.

“That’s just unreal. I can’t explain how good it feels.”

David Aiken then made it two Group 1s for the night with four-year-old Spidergirl capping her domination of the futurity series after previously taking out the two- and three-year-old titles.

Chris Alford took Spidergirl to the front early and was never headed, the long odds-on favourite beating second favourite Paris Pepperell by 7.3m, with the rest of the field more than 20m away.

Meanwhile, favourite punters were on song for most of the night with seven of the 10 races going their way.

Claudys Princess was one of those, the Mick Blackmore-trained three-year-old filly saluting by 2.2m over Illawong Helios in her Super Series final.

The win was Claudys Princess’s ninth from 12 starts and Blackmore will now have to seriously consider taking her to the Derby on Redwood Day.

“She’ll tell us,” he said when asked about what was next for the daughter of Bacardi Lindy.

Winning reinsman Gavin Lang was thrilled with the success.

“While there are a lot of people at the top of the tree who deserve the accolades they get, there are a lot of people down the other end who really make our industry what it is,” he said.

“You don’t have to be a millionaire.”

New South Welsh visitor Vincennes wasn’t the favourite but was well-supported before taking out the four-year-old males’ trotters final.

And with six races being beamed live into France for wagering and broadcast last night, there’s a fair chance the French punters took the omen and made him favourite.

Trainer-driver Blake Fitzpatrick delivered a copybook drive aboard Vincennes to defeat punters’ fancy Blitzthemcalder by 2.5m.

Blitzthemcalder sat in the breeze mid-race and took the lead on the home turn, but Vincennes had momentum up after securing an economical trip four-back in the running line.

Vincennes’ winning mile rate was 2:00.0, coming home in a last half-mile of 58.2secs.

Andy Gath’s young trotter Endsino, driven by Kate Gath, started a short-priced favourite and showed she has a bright future by winning the two-year-old fillies’ trotters’ final.

Endsino was over 12m too strong for her nearest rival, Shesa Amason, who gave cheek from her pole draw.

The other Group 1 victor for the night was long-shot Imamenace for hobby trainer Peter Cormican and reinsman Greg Sugars.

Imamenace sat outside race leader Spidergrace before getting the better of the David Moran-trained horse after a stirring battle in the home straight.

Despite reinswoman Laura Crossland throwing everything at Spidergrace, Imamenace proved the tougher horse on the night.

Alford finished with driving honours on the night, the Spidergirl victory coming after the champion horseman won on Triumphant Monarch in the first race.

Amy Tubbs trained-and-driven Brunelleschi won the inaugural Group 3 Noopy Kisok Trotters Free For All, while Sonofanearl won the Aldebaran Park Monte despite a 20m handicap for rider Riina Maattanen.

 

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