Greg Sugars salutes aboard The Storm Inside, one of five Emma Stewart trained winners last night at Melton.
For a trots trainer to produce five winners on a metropolitan card is rare.
To do it twice in one month defies all the stats.
But Smythes Creek trainer Emma Stewart is breaking records and last night for second time this month the 34-year-old geared up five winners on the one card at Tabcorp Park Melton.
The highlight for Stewart was undoubtedly The Storm Inside (Rocknroll Hanover/Spirited Storm) winning the $322,000 Australian Pacing Gold Final for two-year-old colts and geldings.
Stewart also had success with Shadow Sax (Shadow Play/Miss Saxony), Lovelist (Always A Virgin/Lifeline) and siblings Our Celebrity (Mach Three/Celebrity Ball) and Starburst Girl (Art Major/Celebrity Ball).
Stewart is dominating Victoria’s metropolitan and overall trainers’ premierships.
Last time Stewart trained five winners at Melton was April 1, Stampede night.
Trainer Peter Manning on March 11, 2000, also picked up five metro winners, the last trainer to achieve the feat before Friday night.
That night at Moonee Valley his winners were Next Encore, Farewell To Arms, Wenbro, Lombo Rapida and Tosca Lombo. Daughter Kerryn Manning drove all five winners, plus another in Homer Hawk for trainer Warren McDonald giving her six wins for the evening.
Trainer Andy Gath's picked up five wins out of eight races at Moonee Valley on September 1, 2001, his winners Orse M Wheels Bro, Vertical Horizon, Barcode, Cameroon and Parawanga. He also had the $1.50 favourite in the last race that night, Honkey Lobell, who was beaten a head by Eagle Harbour giving Tony Dillon a winning double on the program.
Following The Storm Inside’s brilliant APG win in a mile rate of 1:55.6 for the 1720m trip, Stewart described the week leading into last night as “the longest week we’ve ever had”.
Any wonder. All week long people have been declaring unbeaten The Storm Inside already over the line in the rich Group 1 final.
“You’ve still got to earn it,” winning reinsman Greg Sugars said after the win.
“It’ll be a weight off Emma and Clayton (Tonkin’s) shoulders,” he added.
At the APG trophy presentation Stewart said The Storm Inside could be anything. “We’re not quite sure how good he is yet.”
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Cody Winnell (HRV Media/Communications Manager)
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