Racing: What's not to love? Teen triumph one for the ages

Star teen driver Sheree Tomlinson salutes and holds the trophy after winning her family's version of the New Zealand Cup, the $300,000 Dominion, at Addington yesterday. Photo / Getty Images

It has all the ingredients of a racing fairy tale - a young woman and the horse she loves triumphing against all odds on the biggest stage.

And the joy 19-year-old Sheree Tomlinson felt as she won her family's version of the New Zealand Cup, the $300,000 Dominion at Addington yesterday, was impossible to not to love.

Tomlinson never went around a horse on 90-1 chance Amaretto Sun, trained by her grandfather Ken Ford, sneaking up the passing lane to become the first female to win our greatest trot race.

And all this on a horse who first brought Tomlinson to the attention of the punting public but one which needed an operation this time last year to keep racing.

But there is only one problem with this girl loves life-changing horse storyline.

"He is actually a bugger," Tomlinson said with a laugh after yesterday's triumph.

"He tries to kick me out of the cart every time I drive him. Not just race day, every time. That is just him.

"So we have our moments along the way. He is not easy."

So while he may not be the textbook equine hero, Amaretto Sun gave the Tomlinson and Ford family their proudest moment in racing.

They are trotting people through and through, breeding horses of that gait, as opposed to pacers, and therefore they don't dream of New Zealand Cups, they dream of the Dominion.

Sheree Tomlinson driving Amaretto Sun. Photo / Getty Images

"That is why I am so emotional, I can't believe we, not me but the whole family, have won the race we want the most," Tomlinson said.

"Especially with this fella because he had those bone chip issues last season and he hasn't been an easy horse for us."

Tomlinson is a teenager with an infectious smile but she is no newcomer to the sulky, having been brought up through harness racing's hugely successful Kidz Kartz programme.

"That was a great way to get into racing and get out there on the track before I was allowed to drive properly but I can't believe something like this has come so early in my career.

"I am absolutely buzzing. It is all a bit of a blur."

Amaretto Sun will now travel north for the plethora of major trots over the summer at a time when the open class ranks, shorn of Monbet, have a very open feel to them.

That wasn't supposed to be how yesterday's Dominion turned out as Great Things Happen was a $1.50 favourite and when he jogged to the front in the early stages he should have been too good.

But he was beaten at the 300m, leaving trainer-driver Gavin Smith wondering whether his stable star had suffered from a tying up problem as he took an age to recover after the race.

While Amaretto Sun was a crushing blow for punters in yesterday's great trot, Ultimate Machete was simply crushing in the $260,000 Woodlands Pacing Free-For-All.

The four-year-old showed the benefit of coming in fresh after missing Cup Day to sit parked outside Tiger Tara and Jack's Legend, smashing the national allcomers 1950m mobile record in the process.

He will head off to Perth this week to join stablemate Lazarus at the Inter Dominion series. But Ultimate Machete will be aimed at the four-year-old support races worth a total of A$375,000 over the next three Fridays.