BERNIE Hewitt has enjoyed many moments of triumph at the new Bathurst Paceway since its official opening in 2014, but few evenings have delivered him more success than Wednesday’s memorial meeting.
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Four members of Hewitt’s Georges Plains team notched up victories – College Chapel, Cobbity Chic, Mackeral and Lifes A Jungle – which moved up him up into third on the Harness Racing New South Wales trainers’ premiership.
While The Lagoon’s Steve Turnbull is the only trainer to have cracked the magic five wins in a meeting mark at the track – having done so twice – Hewitt’s efforts still rank as one of the best at the venue.
It also ranks as one of his best evenings of racing in Bathurst across his career.
On March 9, 2005, at the old Sportsground Paceway, five members of Hewitt’s team were declared victorious.
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Last year’s Gold Crown Finals Night, when Hewitt won the Group 1 two-year-old colts and geldings decider for the first time, was also an evening he will not soon forget.
It was College Chapel Hewitt steered to victory in the Gold Crown Final and the now three-year-old colt was his fourth winner on Wednesday night.
He took out the John Clayton Memorial (1,730 metres) in all the way fashion as a $1.28 favourite to make it two wins from as many starts so far this season.
Hewitt was in the gig for that race and also steered Cobbity Chic (Ian Mutton Memorial) and Mackeral (North, Garth and Audrey Harkham Memorial) to victory. His son Doug drove the stable’s first victor for the meeting, with Lifes A Jungle saluting in the Kevin Doherty Memorial.
Before Hewitt’s winning streak, the start of the meeting was delayed for more than 90 minutes due to lightning strikes.
When the skies cleared enough for things to commence just after 7.30pm, the Menangle Park team of trainer KerryAnn Turner and driver Robbie Morris picked up their first win with New Zealand native Pembrooks Passion ($1.40 favourite).
The Bettors Delight x Pembrook Milly Mae gelding moved to Turner’s stable in July last year and while he had placed at Bankstown and Menangle, had not really fired.
But he charged to the lead down the home straight to win the Keith Colley Memorial (1,730m).
“He’s a nice horse, he was probably a little bit disappointing his last couple of starts, so hopefully this will get him on the right track,” Morris said.
“He probably should have been winning those races and he wasn’t, so Kerry tinkered with a few things.”
