LONGFORD harness racing trainer Barrie Rattray ended the meeting in Launceston last Sunday night with two winners but the similarity in how the three-year-olds won made the double unique.
Fioki was the second leg of the double with stablemate Freyde delivering the goods early in the night and Todd Rattray, the trainer’s son, was aboard both three-year-olds.
Both winners were settled three-back the fence and Rattray produced mirror drives to get both of them home from what looked hopeless positions 300 metres from home.
Fioki was competitive in all the feature two-year-old races last season and this season he also has been a model of consistency winning four and being placed as many times from nine starts.
But at this latest outing he was shut away three-back the fence and looked in danger of never getting a look in when the field wheeled down the back straight the last time.
But just like he did aboard Freyde, Todd Rattray somehow managed to find a passage off the fence and when he steered his charge to the outside Fioki let down brilliantly and went on to score by over seven metres from Jaccka Len with Cheshire Cat just over two metres away third.
The double took Rattray’s season training tally to 35 to sit third on the trainer’s premiership and eight off the leader Rohan Hillier who looks set to win his first trainer’s title.
Gareth Rattray has the driver’s title wrapped up on 91 but it is unlikely he will reach the magical 100 that he already has achieved twice (2009-10 and 2007-08).
By Peter Staples.