Bernie Hewitt enjoyed success at the Forbes on Sunday afternoon when Theagenes ($12) won the David Mason Appreciation Pace in a boilover.
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Securing the crucial draw of first on the front row proved to be the difference for Hewitt's gelding, despite showing some lacklustre gate speed.
Sitting two-out, one back, Hewitt bided his time before pulling out with 300 metres to go, winning in a swift 1:58.8 over Smooth Bon Bon, with Jacobs Thunder ($13) finishing like a freight train in third.
The gelding does not win out of turn, but Hewitt was happy with way he stuck at the task.
"He lacks a bit of speed but he's strong and back in grade he felt much better...it was the perfect draw and the owners will be absolutely stoked with this," said Hewitt.
And it was the Hewitt show again for the country features, in the gig of his filly Iamajoyride who held on by a short half-head for an absolute nail-biter of a win in the Jack Honan - securing a training/driving treble.
"It's been terrific day for the stable and this is just the cherry on top," Hewitt said.
The stable have high opinions of Lincoln Royal x Onajoyride three-year-old, so much so they were keen to take her to the city for a bit of toughening up.
"We threw her in the deep end a bit in strong company at Menangle, and while she hasn't been at her best recently she was able to tough it out for the win," he said.
"She's certainly a star of the future and this will harden her up a bit; racing in the city has set her up well for coming home and this was a perfect way to cap it off."
The veteran reinsman also spoke about what it meant to win the Jack Honan Championship Final.
"To win the Jack Honan is always an honour, I grew up in awe of Jack and it has always stuck in my mind how much he went out the box when it came to harness racing and he was huge for the industry here in Australia - not just in the West," he said.
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