By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk
Unplaced in her four previous starts, Impressive Shard burst into the winner’s circle at Addington last night for Leeston trainer Brad Mowbray.
“That was a very impressive run, she’s aptly-named,” Mowbray told Harness Racing Unhinged’s Nigel Armstrong post race.
“She’s quite a smart horse.”
Impressive Shard was the $46 outsider in last night’s race. Starting from the outside of the mobile in the Betavet Fillies and Mares Mobile Pace Matthew Williamson took the Captain Crunch three-year-old back to last early. They then trucked into the race three wide and despite a tough run she produced a determined run to beat closest rival Elektra King by a neck.
“She just kept finding,” said Williamson, “she was holding them quite easily in the last half of the straight.”
“It was a big win.”
Impressive Shard (Captain Crunch – Pemberton Shard) was a $45,000 purchase from the 2023 National Standardbred Yearling Sales in Christchurch.
“I also trained Pemberton Shard and this one is dead-set like her mother,” says Mowbray.
Pemberton Shard was a nine race winner, with stakes earnings of over $220K.
It was Mowbray’s fifth win this year and followed a couple of other longshot winners he’s had in She’s Tough and Okiwi Bay.
Also last night the new father-son partnership of Greg and Ben Hope had their first win with Mr Love, driven by Ricky May, while Robert and Jenna Dunn (Malakai and Tyrons Strapping Lad) and Hayden and Amanda Cullen (Hadron Collider and Harrison John) both trained doubles on the night and Brendon Hill trained the quinella in the Trade Me Property Mobile Pace with Arthur Shelby and Rockingood.