Maiden win, track records, big odds and milestones at Winton today.

Bruce Stewart Journalist

Today’s racing at Winton provided plenty of highlights.

Now in her third season of training a small team, Mataura horsewoman Nicole Aitken trained her third winner today when Cash Is King (Captain Crunch) cleared maiden ranks.

Driver Kerryn Tomlinson positioned Cash Is King four back on the inside but with a moderate pace being set decided to move off the inside to sit parked for most of the trip.

Turning in, she was up challenging leader On The Beach. She got a nice break on the chasing bunch and held on to beat a late charging Rakaturbo by a length and a half.

Speaking of how she got started in harness racing, Nicole said “I started working for Alex Milne when I was twenty and caught the bug from there.”

In 2024 she obtained her trainers licence.

“I always had a couple of my own with Alex and figured that instead of having to go to his place, I could do them from home.”

She has just three horses in work and trains them on a grass track at home when conditions allow, or otherwise takes them to Wyndham.

“I just make it work around by job and the kids sport. My boss is real good and if there are races on it’s no problem to have a day off and go to them, so it works out pretty good.”

Aitken’s other part-time job is at the Mataura Four Square. “That helps pay for the horses.”

There is no other family involvement in harness racing, but Nicole’s father Tony Woods is a cousin of galloping trainer Robbie Paterson.

Aitken bought Cash Is King from Canterbury trainer Regan Todd who posted the gelding on Gavelhouse.

“Regan said he needed time. So I put him in the paddock for five or six months before I started to work him. Regan said that he’d pick up one or two.”

Prior to today’s maiden win, Cash Is King in fourteen starts, had run two seconds and five thirds. So a win was due.

Cash Is King is a half-brother to Betterthancash (7) and the promising Skinny Dippin (2).

When Blarney Stone (Wishing Stone) won the Marshall Industries Trot today at Winton, Matty Williamson got his 500^th trotting win as a driver.

His first winner was Springfield Tiz at Ascot Park in August 2008, also a trotter. She was trained by Matty’s father Phil.

In Race Four the win by Atula (Always B Miki) trained by Cran and Chrissie Dalgety was Hazel van Opzeeland’s 100^th winner as an owner.

Her first winner was Highview Tommy at Addington in March 2008. He won seventeen races and banked over $990,000. His wins included the Group One Welcome Stakes and Group One Ballarat Cup.

Imperious Girl’s (Imperial Count) winning time in the Diamond Creek – SBSR Silk Road Series Mobile Trot of 1-56.8 was not only a new three year old fillies track record it was also a new open mares record. The previous fillies record of 1-58.9 was held by Zoey’s Gift while the open mares record of 1-57.4 was held by Lavra Miriam.

$81 winner Feta Go Fernco (Betterthancheddar) trained by Peter Hunter capped off a great weekend for breeders Brian Ferns and Murray Swain.

The pair bred Fernco Nel (Vincent) which won at Albion Park last night for Chantel Turpin. The win was the entire’s thirteenth in twenty four starts. He paid a modest $2.60 to win.