Aaron Bain Racing | Aaron Bain News 62016 Harness Success

A perfect weekend on the feature front for Aaron Bain Racing with our two harness runners each winning their rich $150,000 final.

With our great friends Summit Bloodstock and a host of owners, LOUCASSO and DEGARMEA TEALE had victories at Melton to each collect the first prize of $75,000.

A colt, LOUCASSO, trained by Emma Stewart and driven by Mark Pitt, rated 1:55.4.8 in an easy all-the-way 15-metre win of the $150,000 APG Melbourne Sales Graduate Final over 1720 metres.

Driver Mark Pitt has a big opinion of LOUCASSO.

Pitt believes the son of Sweet Lou could have gone faster if asked.

“He’s got serious speed, this fellow, and when you keep flicking him up, he just keeps finding gears,” Pitt said.

“He was just idling up the straight and I’m sure if I had clicked him up, he would have really run some serious time.

“I just let him come out on his own and didn’t ask him at all, and that’s always a good sign, but I think if you had to ask him to come off the gate, he would get off it really well.”

Emma Stewart also trains DEGARMEA TEALE which was driven by Jackie Barker in the $150,000 APG Melbourne Sales Graduate Fillies Final over the 1720 metres.

This proved to be a tougher watch.

After finding the front, DEGARMEA TEALE controlled the tempo but in the home straight was strongly challenged by Ride The Highs which looked good grab a narrow lead but ABR’s filly fought back to claim victory by a head.

Driver Jackie Barker conceded DEGARMEA TEALE still has a lot to learn before she is the finished product.
“She’s a typical little baby with her first time in front,” Barker said.

“She got a bit lost out there and saw plenty of things that she probably hasn’t seen before.”

Barker was happy with the way DEGARMEA TEALE responded when challenged in the straight.

“She was not switched on really well tonight, but credit to her. When that horse got up outside and challenged her, she really switched on well then.

“She doesn’t respond overly well, and I was tapping her the whole way as she was too busy looking around at things. She wanted to have that horse up on her outside keeping her honest.

"She’s proven that she can run the times, and the ability is definitely there. You’ve got to remember it’s only her second start tonight and she’s still got plenty to learn.”

ABR also had two other harness winners on Saturday with star mare KISS resuming a winner at Melton, then CAPTAIN PERFECT winning his third race in three weeks at Globe Derby Park.

KISS came from a back row draw to win the Ranvet Pace (2240m) rating an excellent 1:55.0 for trainer Emma Stewart and driver Mark Pitt.

Bernadette Page had the sit in the sulky of the Emma Stewart-trained CAPTAIN PERFECT which rated 1:56.9 in a strong victory in the T Junction Performing at Globe Sunday May 25 Pace (1800m).

On Sunday, ABR ventured across Bass Strait with another two-year-old SHORELINE DREAM which scored at Launceston.

Trained by Emma Stewart, and driven by Mark Yole, SHORELINE DREAM was caught three wide early before sitting parked then racing away from the 400-metre mark to win the DHRC Two-Year-Old Pace (1680m).

Starting a $1.30 favourite, he won by 24-1/2 metres in a rate of 1:57.7.

On the thoroughbred front this week, racing returns to Gawler on Wednesday after a five-month break because of track renovations.

Trainers Aaron Bain & Ned Taylor will have one runner for ABR, STOKOMO in race six, the Irongate Australia Benchmark 56 Handicap (1200m) at 3.50pm SA time.

The gelding has drawn gate three in a field of 12 and will be ridden by Taylor Johnstone.

STOKOMO, part-owned by prominent SA businessman Robert Hill-Smith whose family founded the Yalumba Winery in Angaston.

The Hill-Smith family have had a long and successful association with thoroughbred racing going back to the days of Colin Hayes, and Robert’s father, Wyndham Hill-Smith.

STOKOMO was formerly trained by Richard and Chantelle Jolly but had a slight setback after his last run in September last year, and the decision was made to transfer him to ABR.

The four-year-old had a nice trial over 1000 metres at Balaklava on April 17 and the trainers have waited until Wednesday to line him up at the races.

Following the heavy rain on Monday, the trainers are wary about running him on a bottomless track, and so, have also nominated him for Morphettville on Saturday.

ABR Weekend Star

Four winners across the weekend for ABR but LOUCASSO took the award as our weekend star.

The two-year-old colt, trained by Emma Stewart and driven by Mark Pitt, displayed his undoubted ability with an all-the-way win in the $150,000 APG Melbourne Sales Graduate Final over 1720 metres.

Pitt was able to rate him perfectly and LOUCASSO was never challenged winning easily by 15 metres.

Pitt believes the winner’s high speed is his greatest asset.

“I think that’s just him as a high-speed horse at this stage of his career. I hope everything stays well with him and we see him in some really nice races later on in the season.”

Now a winner at three of his four starts, LOUCASSO’S only blemish was when he galloped on the home turn in the Gold Crown Final at Bathurst.

“I think that when Herbie (James Herbertson) went to flick him up, it just gave him a little fright and he jumped out of his gear, so we have to be mindful that when you tap him up, you’ve just got to go easy on him,” Pitt said.