It's been a long time between drinks but Tiger Cheddar delivered Ian Edyvean his first winner in 16 years at Riverina Paceway on Monday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Edyvean has only been back in the game for just over a year, but tasted success for the first time since July 2003 as Tiger Cheddar has able to lead all the way to take out the Charles Sturt University Vets Pace (2270m).
The four-year-old put the writing on the wall in his last two starts, with a second and an unlucky seventh heading into the race.
Edyvean was pleased to get another win.
"He was very unlucky not to win on the Friday before when he got held up behind them and if he had of got the split he would have won," Edyvean said.
"He was beaten 4.9 metres but run seventh but I've known every since I've got him that he's going to be a handy horse."
The son of Betterthancheddar has now won two of his 19 starts plus five placings.
He had been unplaced in his first four starts for Edyvean before a second on Friday.
Work commitments saw the horses get put on the back burner.
However son Shane convinced him to pick it up again and now the Coolamon trainer has four horses in work.
"I was going to buy a couple of gallopers and my young bloke said to get pacers as we could do them ourselves," he said.
"He talked me into it."
Edyvean has been having a few trial drives and lays claim to having been the first person tipped out onto the new track.
With that in mind he's more than happy to have over the driving responsibilities and Ellen Bartley took the drive.
It was a day for breakthroughs with John Shiels scoring his first win as a driver in a decade earlier on the card.
The 73-year-old trained and drove Acheron to victory for daughter Kim, who also bred the three-year-old.
Dancing Lilly also broke through for her first win at start five.
Trainer-driver Graham Looby was able to find the front early with the three-year-old before she kept her rivals at bay.
It was a win for perseverance with the daughter of A Rocknroll Dance having plenty of issues to sort out before hitting the track.
Sam Hewitt took out overall honours with a double.
The Goulburn trainer-driver first tasted success with Angelic Miss before winning the last race with Muscle Mach.
Wagga races again on Friday with the club's first night meeting on the new track.
Heats of the NSW Breeders Challenge Regional Series highlight the card.
READ MORE
