Odd; Shane Graham went winless last weekend at Albion Park but he's looking to bounce back this weekend with a strong book of drives.
A rare occurrence took place at Albion Park last weekend.
Shane Graham didn’t drive a winner at the metropolitan meeting on Saturday night from his six drives, two second placing’s was the best he could manage.
The reigning Australian Driver of the Year is a regular in the winner’s circle on a Saturday night but, as it turned out, it wasn’t meant to be for the 33 year-old.
“It was just one of those nights where things didn’t go to plan; I didn’t get the rub of the green. I cost myself a victory aboard the trotter Senitas Success after kicking away too soon but we move on. It felt a little strange but there was a meeting late last year that I missed a winner too, it’s not something I want happening on a regular basis.” Graham said.
Ultimately, it proved costly missing the winners because it allowed champion Victorian based reinsman Chris Alford to claw back the lead Graham held over him and they’re now engaged in a titanic struggle for the current season.
Both have 116 winners to date.
The last time Graham went winless on a Saturday night at Albion Park was on Boxing Day, December 26 and it was eerily similar to last weekend where he managed to grab two second placing’s from his seven drives.
The star reinsman has become a regular in the winner’s circle at the Saturday night fixtures and last season he claimed the Albion Park Metropolitan Driver’s Premiership by a widening margin over his nearest rival, Grant Dixon.
This weekend, Graham has another solid book of engagements with eight drives on the big ten race program.
His ‘prime’ drives appear to be in-form trotter Senitas Success plus Temporary Use while Packnplenty, My Trial By Jury, Yerrington Bob and American Legend loom as legitimate threats in their respective events.
“I definitely think the trotter looks my best chance, he’s racing in excellent form since coming north from Victoria and I probably overdrove him last week when he got run down late. He’s such a good beginner and the fact that Our Overanova is coming off a freshen-up coupled with a big handicap gives me a great chance.
“The open class race will be an interesting affair with a tactical battle looming in the small field, I think my drive in American Legend has a good shot for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the small field suits his brilliant sprinting burst plus the distance is also to his advantage but you can say the same thing about his stablemate Caesars Folly who looked very good winning last start.
“Racing on the Saturday night circuit is very competitive and luck plays a huge part in the races, I think it’s a fairly handy book of drives so I’m hoping we can improve on our efforts from last week. I can’t go two weeks in a row without a winner.”
As it stands for the current 2015/16 season, Graham (37) leads Dixon (21) in the metropolitan premiership.
