By Peter Hibberd)

On what was a good day for local farmers, it was completely the opposite for punters at the Charlton Trots.

The club celebrated the running of two memorial races: the Victor Sait and Josie Harvey Memorials. However, the track saw upset results in four races, with prices ranging from $11.00 to an extreme outsider at $51.00.

Due to the surprising outcomes of some early races, the quaddie on the first four races jackpotted with no winners, and some dividends throughout the day were enormous.

The only joy for the locals were wins by horses trained by John Tormey and Zac Steenhuis. Zac has only recently transferred from Ballarat to the training centre, where he has 20 horses in work. His win with Matador was his first at the Charlton track as a local trainer. Such is Zac's involvement in the training centre that he had 8 runners at the meeting.

In race six, the very well-supported Sequence, driven by James Herbertson, was able to lead all the way. Only recently returned, the three-year-old filly should be followed in her career.

Race eleven, the first heat of the Vicbred Mares Sprint Championship, was won by the very impressive Surfingmakescents. Trained and driven by Kerryn Manning, she sat outside the leader for the majority of the race, recording a mile rate of 1:56.0. She has now qualified for a $30,000 final at Melton on June 29.

Nice Light, a new addition to the Steenhuis stable, showed she could be a quality lightly raced horse. Driven by Jack Laugher, she worked around the field to lead for the majority of the race. She has only raced on 22 occasions for 8 wins and 4 placings. This completed a driving double for Jack Laugher.

Race nine saw another blowout for punters when $41.00 outsider Binn Watching, driven by Kevin Weidenbach, won. It was a very good drive, as Binn Watching was well back on the inside throughout the race.

Race one turned out to be one of the closest finishes of the day. Kay Michael Bellman, driving Macho Maori, won by a short margin after sitting outside the leader. It signalled a day of long-priced winners

In race two, trainer/driver Mark Priestley, based in Irymple, made the long trip with his horse, The Tooth Fairy, to use the sprint lane to win at a big price of $41.00. Both the first and second horses came from the Sunraysia area.

Race three did not improve for punters when the $51.00 outsider of the field, Double Dot, driven by Lauren White, led all the way to win. At this time, the weather changed, which, although good for the local area, made it uncomfortable for all participants.

In race five, the final of the Graeme Hayes Real Estate series was keenly contested. Heats were run at Swan Hill last week. Jack Laugher again guided his horse, Tang Hit Haven, to a strong finishing run to win by 2 meters.

New Racing Calendar

Last week, HRV had a major announcement regarding the new racing calendar model. There were three main principles to be applied:

• Increase revenue.
• Decrease costs of HRV, clubs, and participants.
• Participant welfare, e.g., travel time.

All 28 country clubs will continue to race, but when the 12-month calendar is released, the Charlton Club at this stage will have its race days on Wednesday, starting from July, with its Cup Day in March.