KEY POINTS:
There were times this season when Stephen Doody wondered if it was all worth it.
The Central Districts leading harness racing trainer started his season from hell when he was badly injured in a race fall last winter, keeping him on crutches and out of the sulky.
That would be tough enough for any trainer but even more so for Doody who has to travel long hours just to get a race into his stable stars.
So you can imagine as winter got colder and the racing team got thinner, a injured Doody started to think he must be mad.
There were those moments, admitted Doody at Alexandra Park last night.
"They were tough times and I was lucky to have some good people to help me out at home, good owners and great fill-in drivers."
The dreary days seemed worth it last night, though, when Doody's exciting trotter Braig claimed some of the biggest scalps in the country in the $30,000 free-for-all at Alexandra Park.
He did it the hard way too, sitting parked for the last lap before outstaying favourite and pacemaker Allegro Agitato.
The latter's race fitness gave out in the home straight and she also conceded second to Pompallier but it was hard to make excuses for many because the winner was so impressive.
"That was awesome," said Doody, finally nearly walking normally after his traumatic season.
"I knew he was getting better but to beat horses like these is something special."
Doody knows all about special horses, having trained champion mare Blossom Lady and Hunter Cup winner Mister DG early in their careers.
Both horses eventually made their way to Canterbury stables because of the better racing opportunities but Doody has no such fears with Braig.
"The owner has a few other horses with me and he also likes coming away for the trips up here.
"So I am confident we will have him for a while yet."
Last night's win will aid that as Braig has shown he can handle Alexandra Park, which is often tricky for Central Districts horses who locally can only race on left-handed tracks.
Braig will now be set for the $150,000 Rowe Cup in May and with some of New Zealand's best trotters looking a shade tired after mixed seasons he is a realistic chance of giving the central North Island its richest ever trotting win.
Earlier in the night 2-year-old pacer Steve McQueen completed a feature-race double when he won the Cardigan Bay Stakes.
He had to be good to do so too, coming from well back in a 57.6-second last 800m, suggesting he will give higher-rated stablemates Ohoka Arizona and Fiery Falcon plenty to think about when he returns south.
The night's other two-year-old pacing feature was won by So Deep, providing Graeme Harris with his first major Alexandra Park winner in some years.
She had to be good to do so, too, working hard to lead and then kicking back when headed in the straight.
