Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
The deft skills of Western Australia’s small but richly talented group of female drivers were on full display at Gloucester Park on Friday night when they set a significant record of landing seven winners on a program.
It was indeed a historic record-breaking occasion when girl power reigned supreme, climaxing with 21-year-old Emily Suvaljko guiding Jaspervellabeach, the $1.80 favourite, to an all-the-way victory in the 7Plus Stream For Free Pace to chalk up a memorable century of winners for the season.
This completed a double for Suvaljko, who had been successful earlier in the evening with $16.20 chance Boom Time, and it followed victories for Jocelyn Young (Athabascan, $21.40, and The Amber Hare, $6.70), Maddison Brown (Plutonium, $1.55) and Deni Roberts (Markham Eyre, $26.70, and Jett Star, $2.70).
The other four winners on the 11-event program were driven by champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr, who said that the emergence of outstanding young female drivers in recent years had been a major breakthrough in harness racing.
“Back in the day, more often than not, female drivers would get abused for doing any little thing wrong,” he said. “But now that stuff has all died down, and it is good that they can be out there, competing, now. And there are some good girl drivers here at the moment. They are all light, and a light weight is a big advantage.”
Roberts, delighted with her double, said: “It’s girl power, winning seven of the first nine races. There is only a small pool of us five who drive regularly, especially on Friday nights at Gloucester Park. We are all getting good opportunities, and this is shown on the winners’ board.”
Jocelyn Young said: “We don’t need a helping hand or a kick start. We have proven that, and it is good to give the boys a shake up and get them on their toes.”
Young (29) and her younger sister Madeliene (28) and Suvaljko (21), Brown (26) and Roberts (27) are the five regular female drivers at Gloucester Park, with Madeliene giving a sample of her ability on Friday night by bringing $26 chance Skylord home with a spirited burst from eighth at the bell to finish a splendid second to hot favourite Never Ending in the $150,00 group 1 Golden Slipper.
Between those five they have driven 1511 winners, with Suvaljko showing the way with 460 winners, followed by Jocelyn Young (342), Roberts (331), Brown (215) and Madeliene Young (163).
Female drivers also notched seven minor place getters on Friday night, with Suvaljko having third placings with Seven No Trumps, Cool Water Paddy and Ideal Whitby, Roberts notching thirds with Jumpingjackmac and Lusaka, Brown finishing second with Arma Einstein and Madeliene Young earning $27,000 with Skylord’s second placing for herself and her sister and part-owner and trainer Jocelyn.