Precious Memories brought back plenty of precious memories when she broke maidens stylishly at Riverton yesterday.
The 5-year-old led throughout and held her rivals comfortably when scoring for trainer Chelsea Faithful and driver Craig Ferguson.
Precious Memories is raced by Winton-based friends Bridget Stevens and Tracey McMaster, who is the president of the Riverton Trotting Club.
Precious Memories took until she was 5 to make her debut earlier this month, before breaking through yesterday in just her second start.
Along the way, both Stevens and McMaster lost friends and family close to them, leading to their horse being named Precious Memories.
The mare races in the colours of Stevens’ father, the late Tony Stevens, who trained 32 winners during his 50-year involvement in harness racing.
Precious Memories is from Hurry Curry, a mare bred and raced by McMaster’s late father, Bill Keast, who was also a more than capable horseman.
McMaster assisted her father in preparing plenty of his horses and she was to have trained Precious Memories until fate intervened.
"Tracey broke her ribs one winter. She had jogged Precious Memories up but couldn’t train her," Faithful said.
"So the horse came around and we got along.
"She qualified in race time and she was meant to race that time in but she had a bone chip in her knee.
"She had that removed and that took a bit of time, then she has come back in and here we are now."
Faithful is hopeful Precious Memories has the motor to continue to make up for lost time now that she has hit the racetrack.
"I think she has quite a good amount of ability. Whether she brings it all of the time will be up to her.
"It would be nice to get a bit more experience into her before she goes up the grades, but I think her future should be reasonably bright."
Patience has also been required with the winner of yesterday’s Riverton Trotting Cup.
Hidden Talent had lived up to her name recently, the mare unable to show her true worth in her past four starts.
But she powered back into the winner’s circle for trainer-driver Nathan Williamson in yesterday’s feature trot.
"Last start on face value you would have thought she was disappointing. She got a beautiful run but she over-raced something chronically," Williamson said.
"For her to run fourth was actually a good effort in hindsight."
"We made a few changes today and she dropped the bit lovely.
"I thought the grass might suit to get her to relax.
"I got a wee check on the turn, but when I got her into the clear she just joined in and was lovely."
Yesterday’s Riverton Cup was won by Bobbies Rock who prevailed in a three-way finish with Tabasco and Nutcracker.
