The pair who enjoyed premiership success as Bathurst Panthers - Hewitt as the star halfback and Loader the crafty hooker - are now finding success with horses.

Hewitt has long been involved in the harness racing industry as a driver, following in the footsteps of his father Bernie Hewitt, while Loader's link has come through ownership.

Loader's gelding Shifty Nicolosi has two wins and nine placings from his 28 starts, but it's another horse the duo are more excited about.

It's a three-year-old called Chap Daddy who notched up the third win of his 15-start career on Wednesday night.

He saluted over 2,260 metres at the Bathurst Paceway.

"It's Shifty [Loader] and a couple of his building mates," Hewitt said of the ownership.

"They were building a little house out at the farm, a little hut, and we talked them into while they were doing that.

"Nick has had a share in a couple before, but his building mates haven't been in one."

An Always B Miki x So Random gelding trained by Bernie Hewitt at Georges Plains, Chap Daddy landed his maiden win last September at Parkes and finished the year racing in the two-year-old Vic Bred Series.

He was then spelled for six months, returning in late June with a handy second at Young.

On Wednesday night thanks to his barrier one draw, Chap Daddy was backed into short $1.10 favouritism.

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With Doug Hewitt in the gig, Chap Daddy held off an early challenge from Pale Face Jo to retain the lead.

From there he was never headed, but Loader would've had some nervous moments as he watched the race unfold.

While Hewitt upped the tempo down the back straight for the final time, urging Chap Daddy through a 29.6 seconds sectional, the challengers were coming.

The favourite led them into the straight, but with 100 metres to go his advantage was rapidly reducing.

Lexi Girl surged four wide, Tulhurst Terror was on the charge and Dixiedolittle, who had spent much of the trip in the trail, had pulled out and loomed on the shoulder of Chap Daddy.

But the favourite kicked and held on to win by a neck over Lexie Girl ($21), with Dixiedolittle ($21) a short-half-head back in third.

"He could've run another half a lap, but he can't see them coming in the blocks which is a pro and a con, he runs straight in the blocks but he can't see them coming," Hewitt said.

"I had to get busy on the big fella, then after the line when they came past him and he could see them, he's picked up and charged again. He didn't want to pull up, he saw the other horses and wanted to chase them."

While Hewitt feels that Chap Daddy still has plenty to learn - saying "He's going to be a late three early four-year-old just because of the size of him", the driver is confident he can bring Loader and the other owners more success.

"He's a dopey big bastard, but I think we're going to have a lot of fun with him given his raw ability, he can run sectionals that are massive times in the trials and come back and his heart rate has barely lifted," he said.

"He's got ability, I think he's going to do a massive job for the boys, we just have to teach him how to race. A couple of gear changes really, maybe change his blinkers around a bit."

Chap Daddy was one of two winners on the evening for the Hewitts, who also found success with Louie The Punter ($3.90).

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