Westwood Beach pacer Bettor Sensation lived up to his name with a sensational performance to win at Forbury Park yesterday.
Making a meal of the beginning of race 3 was not enough to stop him from winning in a nail-biting finish with Hit The Sky.
Trainer Graeme Anderson said he had all but written the horse’s chances off after his tardy start.
"That was certainly a surprise after he missed away. I wasn’t expecting him to win after he lost that ground.
"He is a nice horse. He is a typical Bettor’s Delight.
"He might have got a little bit tired at the end of his 3yr-old campaign but we freshened him up and he was pretty sharp today."
Anderson and driver Dexter Dunn also combined to win race 5 with Motu Top Mach. The horse bounced back from a surprise last-start defeat with an impressive come-from-behind win.
"He is a pretty nice horse. He has got plenty of speed which is a big help," Dunn said.
"He was pretty impressive as a 2yr-old and then in his last start I probably didn’t drive him how I would have liked to."
Tisbury trainers Kirstin Barclay and Paul Ellis got their training partnership off to the best possible start when Honey Cullen won race 10.
Driver Tyler Dewe was sporting the partnership’s new colours for the first time at the races.
Armstrong continued another feel-good harness racing story in winning race 2.
The 6yr-old gelding is raced by the Goes All Day Syndicate, a group of both new and seasoned racehorse owners.
They were brought together by Roxburgh trainers Geoff and Jude Knight and started with a $200 syndicate buy-in and a plan to see where it got them.
Nine months and two horses later the group is still going strongly.
"The key to the story was at the start, everyone chucked in $200 each and we would race Mr Woodlea. If we do all right we will carry on and if we run out of money we have had a bit of a good trip," Geoff Knight said.
Junior driver Sheree Tomlinson carried on the brilliant start she has made to the new racing season. Tomlinson got the new term off to a booming start with two wins at Addington on Friday night.
She got her third when Amabede sprinted along the passing lane to win the opening race.
It was another win in the long list of victories Gore trainer Shane Mathieson has notched with former North Island horses.
Yesterday’s feature trot was won by Dusky Eyre, for Katiki Beach trainer Ricky Allen.
Dusky Eyre was given a perfect run in the one-one by driver Blair Orange.
