WHEN Amanda Turnbull got in the gig for the opening race of the Bathurst Harness Racing Club's meeting on Wednesday night it had been more than six months since she drove there - things soon returned to normal.
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Turnbull won that first race on her new Kiwi filly Wattlebank Lass ($1.40 favourite) and drove Myra Dawn ($3.90) to victory for her father-trainer Steve Turnbull as well.
It took her career tally of wins in Bathurst, some of which came at the old Showground Paceway, to 689. It's little wonder she missed her home track, having been caught in Victoria due to COVID-19 border closures.
"It was six months, I went for two weeks and got stuck down there," she said.
Turnbull enjoyed good success during her time in Victoria and since the border re-opened, has won Young's Cherry Cup and driven a winning treble at Parkes.
Wednesday night's TAB Odds and Evens Pace (1,730 metres) was Turnbull's first drive at Bathurst since May 27 and while drawing the outside of the second line with Wattlebank Lass, still held favour with punters.
A three-year-old Art Major x Change Time filly, Turnbull had scouted Wattlebank Lass herself.
Formerly trained by Peter Hunter, she had posted one win and five placings from 12 starts in New Zealand and ran a two metres second in her qualifying trial at Bathurst.
Turnbull is still learning what Wattlebank Lass is capable of and how she likes to race, but after facing the breeze for most of her Australian debut and still managing to clock a 1:56.1 winning mile rate, it's clear she has promise.
"She goes good and looks like a good race horse," Turnbull said.
"She hadn't shown much at home so we thought we'd just see what she could at the races and she trialled well.
"Once they went hard earlier I was pretty happy to take her around and sit there. She's a bit funny, you don't know how much she's got there until you really ask her.
"There are a couple of things I've still got to fix with her, but yeah, I was really happy with that."
While Windy Hill Wally and Theagenes battled for the lead early on, behind them Wattlebank Lass had begun well for Turnbull.
The speed was on in the first quarter - Windy Hill Wally clocked a 27.9 seconds split - but with a lap to go Turnbull was happy enough to guide Wattlebank Lass forward into the death seat.
With 800m to go the favourite was 2m off the pace and she further closed that gap down the back straight.
Not long after balancing at the top of the home straight Wattlebank Lass had the lead and she then sprinted away from her rivals. She finished 9.4m clear of Windy Hill Wally ($7.50), with Watch And Weep ($8.50) a further 5.5m back in third.
