AFTER a season where she further enhanced her status as one of the finest trainer-drivers in New South Wales, Amanda Turnbull has not had to wait long for her first feature win of 2022.
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On Saturday night in Temora the The Lagoon trainer enjoyed success in the annual Temora Pacers Cup when Old Luke showed a nice turn of foot at the top of the home straight and pulled away from his rivals.
It is the second consecutive year that a member of Turnbull's team has taken out the annual 2,386 metres feature.
In 2021 she quinellaed the Temora Cup when Isobel Ross guided $2.50 chance Gotta Party Doll to a 5.2m victory over the Turnbull driven Shoobee Doo.
With both Turnbull and Ross at Menangle Park on Saturday night making it another quinella for the stable, Ellmers Image ($41) beating home stablemate Bundoran ($4.20) by a half neck in the Best In Beds Pace (2,300m), it was Adam Richardson who was given the drive in Temora.
Nine-year-old Kiwi Old Luke, who joined Turnbull's team in April last year, was able to work his way to the front from barrier six.
From there Richardson was able to dictate terms despite being challenged by Ultimate Hughey approaching for home.
"He was a bit lazy the whole race but when I pulled the slides and asked him he really dug in," he said.
"At the top of the straight I put a good one on his bum and he really extended. I was pretty confident from there."
The $6 chance went on to hold off Ultimate Hughey ($7.50) by 4.4m to bring up his 10th career win and the biggest since taking out a Country Series Final in June last year.
"He's been going good at Menangle and I thought his run in the Carousel heat when he sat parked was really good," Richardson said.
"I thought if we just could not go too hard but run a nice last half we would get Mitch [Turnbull on $1.50 favourite Firestorm Red] off the bit pretty early and he would find it pretty hard from back there."
That win was the 31-year-old's third as a trainer this season as she looks to build on what was an impressive 2021.
Last season Turnbull placed third in the Harness Racing NSW drivers' premiership with 146 winners at a strike rate of a remarkable 25 percent.
Turnbull also ranked third in the trainers' premiership with 109 victories and she dominated the leading female driver battle, finishing 109 wins clear of Jemma Coney in second.
Over the last 10 seasons in Turnbull has driven an impressive 1,533 winners in her home state, her career tally overall now 2212.
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