Cobden’s Kieran O’Keeffe will be looking to add to his wins’ tally tomorrow night at Terang.
The local reinsman will jump in the bike behind Sentimental Hope, a mare he piloted to her first win and his first triumph last Monday at Horsham.
O’Keeffe, 21, is the son of trainer Laurie O’Keeffe and his wife Diane, Terang Harness Racing Club’s racing manager.
Laurie trains Sentimental Hope, a nine-year-old daughter of Our Sir Vancelot/Sentimental Dame, who prior to last week had started 14 times for seven minor placings but no wins.
“She’s my favourite horse,” said Kieran.
Not hard to see why; the young fella had lined up 75 times prior but was yet to score a breakthrough success.
“It was exciting but a fairly big relief too … I thought to myself ‘about time’,” he said.
Given his lineage, the trots caper was always going to be an option for O’Keeffe.
He tried his hand as an apprentice carpenter but says “that didn’t work out”.
“So I came home and started breaking in horses. It’s a great industry,” he said.
“Just the people, the racing… I was amazed how many people rang me after I won.
“I must have gotten about 50 phone calls. I wouldn’t have thought there were that many people tuning in to see how I went.”
Sentimental Hope is drawn nine of nine tomorrow at Terang in Race 5, the Terang Veterinary Clinic Pace over 2180 metres.
The mare’s bumping into a couple of smart pacers, however, in Big Spending Telf, to be steered by another young reinsman making a splash Zac Steenhuis for trainer Michael Stanley, and Jilliby Courage from the local power stable of Marg Lee and to be driven by Glen Craven.
“We’ll see how it pans out but I’d be disappointed if she didn’t finish top-three,” O’Keeffe said.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
