By Jonny Turner
The passion matched the performance when Outback Man ran to a debut victory at Ascot Park on Saturday.
The three-year-old led throughout in what was effectively a repeat of his excellent trial win on the same track earlier this month, when scoring for trainer Tony Stratford and driver Blair Orange.
Outback Man is raced by his Central Otago breeders Graham and Dianne Sinnamon.
Graham Sinnamon could easily be described as one of southern harness racing’s most passionate supporters and that was evident when he cheered home his pacer at Ascot Park on Sunday.
“When you win as often we do you never take it for granted.”
“At one stage Lionel (father) went 17 years between wins and I don’t know how the hell he stayed in the game.”
Outback Man is from the two-win mare Idoean, who the Sinnamons bred and raced.
Sinnamon joked that Outback Man had shown so much promise that he was worried he had received the wrong foal when Iodean returned from stud.
“This horse is the first one out of a mare that Di and I bred.”
“Every time you breed a foal you dream of winning a New Zealand Cup.”
“Right from the start he showed he was a bit above average and we were worried we got the wrong foal back from the stud.”
“We are just absolute fanatic dreamers and no Sinnamon horse has ever won his first start – we have made history.”
Check out coverage of Outback Man’s win here
Tony Stratford and Blair Orange doubled up when Tara Victory also ran to a front-running victory in race 4.
In winning, the filly went two places better than her solid fresh-up third at Diamonds Day last weekend.
Matthew Williamson also produced a winning double on the Ascot Park card when producing both Jordan Anne and The Matriarch to win.
Later in the Ascot Park meeting, Tristan Larsen took bragging rights from his father Kirk when they filled the quinella in race 9.
Tristan guided Chezz Dale to victory, just holding off the big late finish of Kirk and Cast A Shadow.
