Eight Narrabri-trained pacers were in action at a Tamworth Harness Racing Club meeting on a rainy afternoon at the Tamworth Paceway last Thursday.
One of those was victorious on the day.
In the third race of the day, which was the 1980-metre Multiquip Hatchery Pace, the Jarred Hetherington-trained Night Lights was the first Narrabri pacer to race and she was victorious for the second time in her third start on Australian soil.
Night Lights joined the Hetherington stable in February and raced to victory on her Australian debut on Easter Monday, April 13, at the Narrabri Harness Racing Club’s meeting which was held in Tamworth.
The five-year-old mare was driven by Mick Formosa that day, and it was Formosa in the sulky again when she raced to victory last Thursday.
The duo started next to pole position from the number two barrier as the $3.20 favourite.
She trotted into third position early and with two laps left to run she was one out one back in fourth position which is where she found herself following the next circuit with one lap remaining.
Going into the final turn Night Lights trotted up into a three-wide third alongside the Les Enks- trained, Anthony Varga-driven Mary Todd Shannon and the Richard Williams-trained-and-driven pole position starter Flightnfight.
Night Lights ran around the final turn the widest of that trio before storming down the home straight the quickest to secure a 1.6-metre win from Flightnfight.
Mary Todd Shannon placed third after finishing nine metres behind Night Lights.
The Hetherington-trained pacer earned $3120 in prizemoney for that win which took her career earnings to $20,110.
While it was her second win in just three starts in Australia, it was her third in 32 total starts since her debut in February 2018.
Another Hetherington-trained pacer was in action in race five which was the 1980-metre Hazell’s Farm and Fertilizer Services Pace.
That was Bettor Getta Lover which started the race from the number 10 barrier on the second row, driven by Formosa, and finished fifth.
Race six was the 1980-metre Northern Daily Leader Appreciation Pace which saw the Hetherington-trained Sir Macador driven to a seventh-placed finish by Formosa after starting from the number eight barrier on the second row.
Two more Hetherington-trained pacers competed in race seven which was the 1980-metre PeterMac Photography Pace.
They were Corporal Luna, which was driven by Blake Hughes, and Padrisimo, which was driven my Formosa, which started side-by-side on the second row from the number nine and 10 barriers respectively.
Padrisimo finished fourth followed by the fifth-placed Corporal Luna in a race that was won by the 2020 Narrabri Cup winner Bohannan.
Just as he was on Narrabri Cup Day on Easter Monday, April 13, Bohannan was driven by Tom Ison for trainer Roy Roots Junior on Thursday.
There were then three Narrabri pacers involved in the 1980-metre Hydes Hides By M and M Pace which was the eighth and final race of the afternoon.
They were the Hetherington-trained Broken Ark which was driven by Formosa to fifth, the Peter Shepherdson-trained Capital Cullect which was driven by Anthony Varga to sixth, and the Hetherington-trained Unico Enchantress which was driven by Brendan James to eighth.
The next meeting at the Tamworth Paceway will be on Sunday, May 17.
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