The future of harness racing lies with its young participants and South Australia celebrated its future stars with the annual G O Silke Plate (1800m) at Globe Derby Park.
Victory went to Winterfeel, driven by Megan Gee, and ironically trained in partnership by Aaron Bain and Jake Webster, themselves two rising stars who also had drives in the Silke Plate.
A $2.20 favourite, Winterfeel scored an easy six metre win from The Storm Chief ($7.70, Aaron Bain) with Accessable ($15.20, Michael Smith) a neck away third. Jake Webster was fourth on Mighty Sea Wind.
Victory by Winterfeel was special to Jake Webster as Graeme Silke is his godfather.
“It is a race I have always wanted to win,” Webster said. “Graeme was always around our stables and I would also see him at the track.
“I have been placed in the race several times but never able to win it so to train the winner was a great thrill.”
Silke, an icon of SA harness racing, was a larger than life owner, trainer, driver and punter who passed away at Globe Derby Park in 2002.
He was always keen to give younger drivers a chance noting how hard it had been for him to kick off his career and he would have been delighted to see Megan Gee come away with a win in the race named in his honour.
Gee is in the process of building her career and rapidly improving with regular drives.
Coming from gate four Gee didn’t get involved in the early speed burn but balanced her drive sitting one wide. After the early action she found herself outside the leader Hey Hardy and moved up to be in a position to control the speed.
Believing she was on the best horse, Gee put the pressure on down the back with a 28.6 third quarter and dashing the four-year-old away in the home straight.
“It was great to drive a nice horse, and I think this bloke has a way to go,” Gee said.
“The boys gave me the right instructions and when I pulled the plugs on the home turn he lifted a gear.”
Bain and Webster joked about how Winterfeel arrived in their stable.
“We saw him race one day in Victoria and said he looked an alright horse and the following day he was listed for sale in the Trading Ring,” Bain said.
“He cost us $4000 and we tried to get hold of Greg Sugars to give his opinion but had already paid for the horse before we managed to contact him.
“Greg said he wouldn’t have bought him and we thought we might have done our money but from the first time we worked him he has impressed.”
Saturday’s win was Winterfeel’s 13th since joining the Bain-Webster team and his stakes are now in excess of $38,000.
