When you’ve been in the harness racing game as long as David Aiken there’s not many surprises left in the game.
But when he watched Cranbourne cross the line in Saturday night’s Shepparton Gold Cup it was an unexpected, but pleasant win for the Avenel-based trainer.
Driven by Shepparton’s Nathan Jack, the New Zealand import saluted in the $75,000 Group Two race and beat home heavily-fancied I Cast No Shadow.
Aiken has only recently taken on the training duties of the gold cup winner in a caretaking capacity until the prized six-year-old gelding heads off to America.
Although Cranbourne was deemed second favourite at $3 odds with the corporates — behind recent Inter Dominion winner I Cast No Shadow — Aiken said he was surprised to walk away with the cup.
“It was sort of unexpected really,” the Avenel-based trainer said.
“I haven’t had him (Cranbourne) for very long and I’ve only got him until March which is when he heads off to America. I helped find him for one of my mates who lives in the US and the only reason he is here is because (the owner) didn’t want him to spend the winter over there.”
Despite being based in the foothills of the ranges at Avenel, where he has lived since his move from Sydney in 1996, Aiken said it was a thrill to win his local track’s cup for the fourth time.
“Although I live down here in Avenel, Shepparton is my local track and all of my kids went to school in Shepp and Josh (son) played footy up there,” he said.
“All four wins are pretty special.”
The win on Saturday night was the latest in the long-standing partnership between Aiken the trainer and Jack the driver.
The association between Aiken and the boy from the Riverina spans back decades and with his son Josh unavailable to drive at Saturday race meetings due to other commitments, Aiken was more than happy to call on Jack to sit in the sulky.
“He’s (Nathan) driving as good as anyone in the country at the moment,” Aiken said.
“We knew the race would be won and lost in the first 50m and Nathan drove perfectly to get him out in front and control the tempo and make it a sprint home. It was a good drive and it worked out perfectly.”
The duo will team up again this Saturday night for the Group One Ballarat Pacing Cup (2710m).
Cranbourne has been locked in to start from the front row and from barrier three in the $150,000.
“He’s pulled up fantastic and everything is in good order, so we’ll turn our attention to some of these upcoming races.”