GRAHAM FISCHER
REINSWOMAN Katie Lobb
capped her comeback to race
driving with her first Saturday
night winner in nearly 20 years at
Globe Derby Park.
Driving the well-backed Betterthanfederer
($7), Lobb led throughout
to score a long-neck win from
Sovereigne Bay ($23) with One
Night At Themile ($4.20) a short
half-head away third in an exciting
finish to the Mitavite Studgro Pace
over 1800m.
After the win, Lobb said she
could not recall her last Saturday
night winner, but her family started
working the internet and came
up with a horse called Redirect at
Globe Derby Park on Saturday, July
20, 2002.
While Lobb has been involved in
harness racing basically since birth,
she took a break from driving for
a decade, preferring to work with
horses away from race night with
breaking in and agistment.
For the past year, Lobb has been
working as stable foreperson for the
stable of Penfield trainer Jill Neilson,
who prepares Betterthanfederer,
bred and owned by Geoff Easom
from Wyndown Stud at One Tree
Hill.
Neilson generally uses brother
and sister Wayne and Danielle Hill
to drive her horses, but if they are
unavailable, Lobb is happy to step
up and such was the case on Saturday.
Betterthanfederer was not the first
winner for Lobb in her comeback to
race driving, as she was successful
on the Neilson-trained Honeybun
on March 15.
On Saturday, Lobb had Betterthanfederer
away well from gate one
and pushed through to hold the lead.
Tempo is the key in races, and she
was able to record a pedestrian 32.4
second first quarter of the last 1600
metres of the event.
With that comfortable sectional,
Betterthanfederer was able to sprint
home strongly, and despite drifting
up the track slightly, was able to
hold off his rivals.
The four-year-old has been able
to build up quite a handy resume
with five wins and nine placings
from just 18 starts. Further up the
card, Two Wells trainer Shane
Loone combined with star driver
Danielle Hill for a double.
His first winner was the nineyear-
old Celestial Daybreak, which
led throughout in the TAB Long
May We Play Pace (1800m).
A $6.50 chance, Celestial Daybreak
notched his 29th win beating
Dancing Finn ($1.40 fav) by nearly
four metres with I Wanna Rocknroll
($7.50), six metres away third.
Jakes Sportswriter brought up the
double with a win in the 1197 VA
Radio Harness Racing Show Pace
(1800m).
Coming three wide over the last
lap, Jake Sportswriter ($5.50) drew
clear to win by five metres from
Smackwater Jack ($10) with Tulhurst
Ace ($2.25 fav), a metre away
third.
Both Celestial Daybreak and Jake
Sportswriter had won at Port Pirie
the previous Tuesday and were able
to back up those victories with impressive
efforts on Saturday.