By Duane Ranger
If you haven’t heard the name Erin Isherwood before then wait until 2-year-old filly, Pop Fiction, makes her race-day debut.
The daughter of Sir Lincoln has now won won a workout and a trial from two public appearances. On Saturday at the Franklin Trials in Pukekohe, Pop Fiction (with Isherwood in the sulky), went 4.1 seconds under the qualifying time.
Isherwood has been employed by Pop Fiction’s Pukekohe trainer Adrienne Matthews for the last two years. The duo bought the filly off Dave Phillips.
Isherwood, who is 27, only started her junior driving career this season. She has won several workouts and trials drives, but has had race-day eight drives in 2016-2017 and is yet to fill a place.
But all that should change soon if her trials drives behind Pop Fiction are anything to go by.
Isherwood rushed the 2-year-old out of the gate from their widest front row draw (six) on Saturday, and then ended up three-deep on the markers going down the back straight the first time.
Then with 600m remaining Isherwood shot the bay around to the lead and then basically left her five opponents to it.
Pop Fiction had a length to spare at the line pacing the 2050m mobile (left-handed) in 2:38.1 (mile rate 2:04) and came home in 61 even and 29.2. The qualifying time was 2:42.2.
A week earlier Pop Fiction and Isherwood sat at the rear of three pacers in a right-handed 2050m mobile workout.
Isherwood made her move on the corner and ran away that day to win by one-and-a-quarter lengths in 2:41.2 (mile rate 2:06.5) and home in 59.3 and 27.8.
“She’s a gutsy little girl who always gives 110 per cent. She felt really nice on both days. I think she is improving all the time. She has a really good temperament. She was a late December foal and is only a wee thing. That’s why we have taken our time with her.
“Adrienne and I will sit down and talk about when she makes her race-debut. She seems to have come through Saturday’s trial okay. I’ll know more after we talk,” Isherwood said.
Isherwood was born in Wellington and relocated to Auckland with her parents when she was six. She attended Westlake Girls High School in Takapuna and then when she left school Isherwood joined a galloping stable in West Auckland.
“I only had one trials ride but couldn’t make the weight. Then a friend of mine in the galloping code asked me if I wanted to go halves in a pacer.
“Her name was Love My Way and she won a race at Northland in 2014. That’s when I became hooked on harness racing,” Isherwood said.
“And I still love it,” she added.
Pop Fiction is the only filly out of the deceased one-win Artiscape mare, Pop Art. She was trained by Ross Wilson at Oamaru and was bred by Hambletonian Limited.
Pop Art was bred by John Fokerd of Wellington and John Arbuckle Standardbreds Ltd.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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