Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Ravenswood trainer-driver Jocelyn Young completed an outstanding evening at Gloucester Park on Friday night when she brought up a treble with brilliant mare Steno outclassing her rivals in the $27,000 7Plus Pace over 2130m.
Earlier in the night the 30-year-old Young trained and drove Cut N Run and Anotherbigman to impressive victories.
This was her first Gloucester Park training treble and her second city driving treble (after winning with Sightseeing Anvil, Rocknroll Lincoln and Argyle Red for three different trainers on September 28, 2018).
Her previous training and driving treble was with Kolisi, Stereophonic and Adda Something at Narrogin on October 1, 2021. Her best performance in the sulky was when she drove four winners for trainer Nathan Turvey at an Albany meeting several years ago.
The New South Wales-bred Steno, a Sweet Lou mare bred and owned by Dianne Kelly, revealed her usual brilliant gate speed before she set a brisk pace and sped over the final quarters in 27.2sec. and 27.1sec. to beat Nullarbor Navajo by just under four lengths, rating 1.54.7.
However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for Young, with Steno, the $1.80 favourite, pacing a bit roughly at the start when the $3 second fancy Three Rumours galloped on her immediate inside.
Steno threw her head high when Three Rumours distracted her at the start. But Young got her pacing straight away and the mare burst to the front.
“She reacted to Three Rumours galloping on her inside,” said Young. “I think she went out in sympathy; she wanted the match race to be on. Steno is quite badly in season, and when I asked her to go at the start, she jammed down her tail. But once we balanced, she just flew across to the lead.
“She went on to win easily, with the plugs in and without me having to use the whip.”
Steno will be set for the $50,000 Laurie Kennedy Sprint over 1730m next Friday week, and she looks set to play a major role in all the feature events for mares this year.
Steno is the ninth foal out of former star mare Lady Waratah, who raced 36 times for 20 wins, eight placings and $564,770.
Steno’s four-year-old half-sister Cherishthememories has raced 53 times for nine wins, 13 placings and $81,586, and her half-brother Waratah Lou finished second to Captains Knock in the Group 1 New South Wales Breeders Challenge for three-year-old colts and geldings at Menangle last October.
Steno has earned $299,591 from 16 wins and ten placings from 36 starts. She raced 17 times in NSW for nine wins and six placings, twice in Queensland for two placings, twice in Victoria for one win, and 15 times in WA for six wins and two placings. Her win on Friday night completed a purple patch for Young, giving her five wins from her past six drives, following wins with Im Spiderman and Machs Legacy at Gloucester Park last Tuesday and wins with Cut N Run and Anotherbigman on Friday night.