Outstanding trainer-reinsman Colin Brown, a master at preparing juvenile pacers, notched his 3000TH success in the sulky when he drove $1.10 favourite Joelene to victory in the 2130m Fly Like an Eagle Is Flying Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Much water has flowed under the bridge for the 62-year-old Brown since he landed his first winner, the Jim Schrader-trained New South Wales-bred gelding Go to It at York as an 18-year-old in October 1976. A consummate professional, he has maintained a wonderful standard as a horseman of the highest calibre for the past 44 and a half years.
In his early days in harness racing Brown drove his first double, with Donna Way and Know Me at Collie. He can’t remember the first of many trebles, but still has fond memories of his first quartet of winners, at Merredin, and reckons he has driven five winners on a program three times.
Joelene, a three-year-old filly bred and owned by Colleen Lindsay, started from barrier five on Friday night and Brown dashed her to the front after 100 metres. She was not extended in front and still had plenty in reserve as she dashed over the final 400m in 28.6sec. and won by just under a length from $26 chance Star Lilly.
The win ended Joelene’s losing sequence of 12 and took her record to 15 starts for two wins, six placings and $31,169 in prizemoney. Joelene, by American stallion Roll with Joe, is the fourth foal out of Tiffany Twisted, a Righteous Hanover mare who won at three of her eight starts, including a Gloucester Park win with Brown in the sulky in April 2010.
Joelene is a half-sister to Bettor Twisted (161 starts for 12 wins, 39 placings and $101,207), Tiffany Twirl (53 starts for five wins, 19 placings and $54,075) and Typhoon Tiff, who has been trained and driven by Brown for all her 24 starts for 11 wins, five placings and stakes of $205,673. Typhoon Tiff’s victories have included the group 2 Daintys Daughter Classic and the group 1 Westbred Classic as a three-year-old, and the group 3 Schrader Pace last August.
by Ken Casellas