News Article

Graham’s dream win in Launceston

21 / 11 / 2011 Article by: Editor
Lyarna Graham
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TALENTED harness racing driver Lyarna Graham celebrated her first triumph on the Launceston track when outsider Cumulative Dreams scored an upset win in the First division of the Furniture City Pace over 2200 metres.

Graham part-owns Cumulative Dreams with her father Dean. They secured the gelding in a claimer in Victoria for $6000 over two years ago.

Graham’s only other winner was aboard The Jouster in Hobart in September.

At the time she was working full-time in a hotel near where she lived at Sorel, South-West of Hobart but after the win on The Jouster she was offered a full-time job working for that horse’s trainer Heath Szczypka at his Underwood training complex near Launceston.

“I didn’t give this horse (Cumulative Dreams) a great chance of winning,” Graham said.

“I was happy with his first two runs back from a spell and he’s been working well but to be honest I thought he was a rough each-way chance at best,” she said.

Graham took Cumulative Dreams back to the rear of the field from a wide draw but when she called on the eight-year-old for the supreme effort in the home straight he rattled home to defeat race favourite Safe Prospect and Luke Thomas.

Cumulative Dreams was previously prepared by Marc Butler but when he recently opted to retire from training the horse was dispatched to Szczypka.

Cumulative Dreams paid $24.60 on SuperTab and over $40 on NSW TAB but given his decent form going into the race he paid well over the odds.