The future face of metropolitan driving ranks was unveiled at Melton on Saturday night.
Young gun James Herbertson led the way with a successful quartet of winners while Jordan Leedham and Amy Day both landed winning doubles.
The remaining two winners were driven by Ellen Tormey (aged 34) and Jack Laugher (26) on the Julie Douglas-trained pacers Clymenus and Jaccka Connor.
The 25-year-old Herbertson combined with Jess Tubbs in producing two poignant wins behind the trotters Illawong Larajay and No Money No Honey.
No Money No Honey enjoyed the run of the race on the back of the leader and $2.90 favourite I Am Wilma before Herbertson eased the filly into the sprint lane and the daughter of Volstead grabbed Mystery Fred on the line to score by a head.
Herbertson indicated No Money No Honey’s track work suggested a forward showing
“Craig (Demmler) said that she’d been working with Tracy The Jet, who ran second in the (NSW) Oaks tonight so the form line at home was strong enough for this sort of race. It’s just whether she got everything to go her way and luckily she did,” he said.
Herbertson will fly to New York on Tuesday with partner Ewa Justice to resume a recent association with the New Jersey-based Ron Burke before the pair spends 10 days with Jorgen Westholm in Stockholm.
The 34-year-old Day had cause for an early Mother’s Day celebration when she partnered the impeccably-bred pacers Grayson Red and Bettor Isolate to victory.
The Matthew Craven-trained Bettor Isolate caused an upset to round off the night when he peeled off the back of favourite Yambukian and dashed past him to score by half a head in a 54.7sec last 800 metres.
“He’s a very smart horse and a very quick horse on his day,” Day said.
“All credit to Mattie as he has put so much work into this horse to get him back to where he was tonight and show that blistering turn of foot,” she said.
Bettor Isolate is a son of Bettors Delight and the Group 1 winning race mare Ashlees Babe.
The 22-year-old Leedham, who sits equal fifth on the Metropolitan Drivers Premiership, was deputising at Melton for Kate Gath, who took out the Lady Drivers Invitational at Menangle on Franco Tyson.
Leedham produced a gem of a drive on Raging Whitebait in the opening event before guiding the Andy Gath-prepared Watts Up Partytime to a win in the Aldebaran Park Trotters Free For All.
Watts Up Partytime tracked the leader Plymouth Chubb before Leedham steered the five-year-old into the sprint lane where he grabbed Harry Stamper on the line.
