Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Ravenswood trainer Jocelyn Young is in Sydney preparing star mare Steno for two feature events at Menangle, leaving her younger sister Madeliene the chance to drive Caberneigh in the $21,000 Vale Bill Crabb Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
And 30-year-old Madeliene made the most of the opportunity by producing an outstanding drive to land Caberneigh, a $4.40 chance, a brilliant winner after the four-year-old appeared to be hopelessly hemmed in seventh place, four back on the pegs, for most of the race.
After Master Leighton and Joey James, the two pacers ahead of Caberneigh, had been eased off the pegs about 400m from home Young dashed through on the inside with Caberneigh before getting the gelding into the clear and switching three wide on the home bend.
Caberneigh sprinted strongly to burst to the front at the 100m and went on to win by almost a length from $26 chance Major Freeway, who finished strongly from tenth at the bell.
Caberneigh entered Jocelyn Young’s stables a couple of months ago and she drove him when he produced an outstanding first-up effort to charge home from the rear at the bell to finish second to Gaitcrasher in a 2185m race at Pinjarra two Mondays ago.
Jocelyn then left for Sydney with Steno to get her ready for next Saturday’s $50,000 Sibelia Stakes at Menangle and the $200,000 Queen Elizabeth Mile two weeks later.
Jocelyn’s partner Cameron Ross took over the preparation of Caberneigh, and Madeliene sat in the sulky behind the gelding for the first time on Friday night when he drew awkwardly on the inside of the back line.
Ya Bettor Followme ($13) won the start from the No. 3 barrier when he held out $6 chance Bettor Arcade, who was the fastest to begin from out wide at barrier eight.
Dawson, a stablemate of Caberneigh, was the $3 favourite, who began from the outside (No. 9) on the front line and was angled across by Kate Gath to fill the favoured one-out, one-back position before moving to the breeze with 900m to travel and eventually taking the lead at the 400m.
“I was in a terrible spot in the back straight in the last lap,” said Madeliene. “There was nowhere to go, and then someone ran into my tyre, and I looked back and down to see if the tyre was punctured.
“And when I looked back up, everyone had pulled off the fence, and so I put the whip on Caberneigh’s backside and sent him through before coming out at the top of the straight after he had almost run over Dawson just before the turn.”
Caberneigh, who rated 1.57.7, was bred and is owned by Busselton trainer Barry Howlett, his wife Lyn and their son Jimmy. He has now raced 16 times for five wins, three placings and $44,012 in prizemoney.
He is by champion sire Bettors Pride and is the twelfth foal out of Live Or Die mare Nivea Franco, who had four starts in New Zealand for one win, in a two-horse event at Addington in February 2004.
Caberneigh’s half-brother Chancellor Cullen is remembered for his desperately close half-head victory over Bronze Seeker in the group 1 McInerney Ford Classic for four-year-olds at Gloucester Park in November 2012.
Madeliene Young returned home to Pinjarra late last year after spending a year in America, working for trainer Linda Toscano at her New Jersey stables. It was in March last year that Young was successful at her only two drives in the United States, setting the pace and winning by three lengths with Matters Most at the Freehold track, and finishing strongly from well back to score with Somiki at the Meadowlands.
Caberneigh’s win on Friday night was Young’s first metro-class success since she drove Castella Dellacqua to victory at Gloucester Park on November 3, 2023.
She was successful at her first appearance in WA after returning from America when Hold Your Fire, trained by her father Kim, led and won easily at Gloucester Park on January 21 this year. That was followed with Pinjarra wins in March with Zuede and Infinite Merit.
Interestingly, Zuede won an event for female drivers when he beat Courage Of Lombo, driven by Jocelyn, by a head.
Ross revealed that Caberneigh was a major handful when he arrived at Jocelyn’s stables a few months ago. “I was about to work him on Jocelyn’s track, and as we untied him from the cross ties he bolted without me in the cart.
“I didn’t get hurt and neither did the horse. But he ran through four fences and destroyed a jog cart. But he has now turned the corner and is causing no problems.”