Jan Milentis and Hayden Hancock with Adda Spoilt Major after their win. Photo by Northam Harness Racing Club
“It was very good in one way, but in another way a bit down, not having John there with me now.” Jan Milentis said.
The win with Adda Spoilt Major on Friday night at Northam was a bittersweet one for Jan Milentis, with the victory a first for the trainer, but after losing her husband John just last year, the only thing that would have made the win better for Milentis was if her beloved husband had been there to help celebrate.
“He worked very well at that track on Saturday, Kevin Keys drove him for me, and when he came off the track he said, ‘this horse will win at his next start’,
“And I thought ‘oh yeah, I’ve heard that before.”
“But he worked really well the week leading up to it I was really happy with him Wednesday, I have a hill that I sprint him up and he did it too easy.”
With a little over two years between wins, the now five-year-old was having just his second start for Jan, who after the death of her husband last year had thought about giving it all up, but by chance she was offered ‘Percy’ (Adda Spoilt Major), giving Milentis a new lease on life in harness racing.
“Leading up to John’s death I had thought that well that’s it, I will chuck this all in, but it was one of Johns final orders that he gave me, that I was not to give up the horses, I was to keep the horses going.”
“Even my son said, ‘no mum, you’re not going to just sit around, you keep those bloody horses going, you’ve got to do something.’
Glad that she did, Milentis did have Glowing Report in work up until May this year, but with setback after setback with the nine-year-old she decided to retire him, before being offered Adda Spoilt Major by Mike Reed. Coming off a last start second for the stable, he was driven by Hayden Hancock this week, and after working to the lead in the early stages, he was able to dictate terms over the 2190m trip, kicking away to win by 8.9m in 1:59:7.
Training from her property in Wooroloo, Milentis has just the one in work with no plans to expand her team, but this year has been full of firsts for the 70-year-old, with Jan having to go back to basics, recently having to learn to tow the float.
“That was John’s department, nobody towed the float, just him.”
“So, when he passed away I was thrown into the deep end, but my son came to the rescue and he was taking me to the track and everything until he said one day that he was away, so he took me for a drive around the block to teach me and I had to go to trackwork Saturday morning on my own,”
“But I managed.”
Saturday night she was accompanied by her sister and brother-in-law, who drove the float, with Jan not quite ready to tackle night driving with the float on the busy road to Northam.
Milentis has had two previous wins donning her colours, with Constant Whispers winning in April 2014, and April 2015 in her husband, John Milentis’ name.
When asked what’s next for her, Milentis replied: “I’ll take it day by day, year by year, see how I go, not getting any younger, so will just see how I go next year when it comes to licensing time, and if Percy’s still racing, I’ll renew my licence, but other than that, I’ll suss it out at that stage.”
