Alicia Harrison is building a strong affection for the Steve Telfer-trained Silk.
The Cambridge Raceway-based junior driver recorded her second successive win behind the mare at Alexandra Park on Wednesday night and she is looking to make it a hat-trick at Cambridge Raceway this week.
“She went really well on Wednesday,” Harrison said. “I thought she was a lot sharper than the week before.
“She is a real tough mare, but just lacks that bit of speed, so she really likes to run the gate and be in front.”
Half of Harrison’s nine wins this season have come in the Stonewall Stud silks and she is hoping to add to that tally on Wednesday.
“They have been really great supporters of mine,” Harrison said. “I have driven about four or five winners for them this season. They have got some nice horses and they are always primed and ready to go.
“I think Silk is lining up at Cambridge in the junior driver race this week. It’s going to be a little bit tougher from probably a bad draw with her new rating.”
Harrison has enjoyed being back in the sulky on race night and said she is hopeful of getting behind some promising horses in the coming months for employer Arna Donnelly.
“It has been really good to get right back into it,” Harrison said. “Since lockdown I have only had seven drives and had three wins and a placing.
“Arna’s team is starting to ramp up now so hopefully I will be able to get on a few of those over the next month.”
Harrison was instrumental in getting the New Zealand Junior Driver Championships off the ground this year and the 2018 series winner said she is looking forward to testing her talent against the best young drivers in the country.
“Luke Whittaker and Sheree Tomlinson have been a big help,” she said.
“We have done all the groundwork to get it up and going, so it is really good that it’s got off the ground and I am really looking forward to it.”
While she is excited about the series, she is also looking forward to beginning her training career next month, albeit in a small capacity.
“My two-year-old filly Shirley Bassey is working up quite nicely. I am going to take out my trainer’s license for her, so I am really excited,” Harrison said.
“Hopefully in another month she may hit the workouts and that is pretty exciting in itself.” – Cambridge Raceway
