By Michael Floyd
A locally-trained treble on Sunday highlighted a milestone day that saw the Cranbourne Training Centre break its previous record for most wins in a season.
Entering the meeting equal with last season’s haul of 56 wins, ‘Team Cranbourne’ didn’t have to wait long to set the new mark with Blanco Canyon saluting in the first for Allan Lousada.
Follow The Eclipse won at his first start for Kyle Marshall in race six, and when Dukes Choice scored for Zeke Slater two races later, the local training ranks had combined for its second treble of the season and establish a new record with three months still to run.
“Our trainers are certainly enjoying a breakout season,” said David Scott, president of the Cranbourne Harness Racing Club.
“To have broken the previous record with three months of the season remaining is a credit to all involved.
“There is every likelihood that the Cranbourne Training Centre will produce around 75 winners this year, and that’s a far cry from our modest tally of 19 in our first year of operation 10 years ago.”
Lousada became the 11th trainer to have prepared a winner out of Cranbourne this season, the most successful being Scott Ewen with 18 wins – his highest number of winners since moving from South Australia in 2019 – while recent arrival Kyle Marshall has recorded 13 winners since arriving from New Zealand in May.
Marshall’s exciting 2YO pacer Smoken Ace has the most wins of any horse for the season, winning all five of his starts, while stablemate Son Of Mac has four as does Rosanna Rebel and Post Game.
Combined, more than half a million in prize money has been won by Cranbourne trained horses already in 2023, a figure that is set to skyrocket with many being set for the rich spring features.
