Trevor Henry wins two in Australia

Top Canadian driver Trevor Henry celebrated a pair of harness racing victories abroad at Australia's Leeton racetrack on Friday afternoon.

 

Adorned in borrowed red and blue silks, Henry won back-to-back races on the card with horses trained by Neil Day. Henry struck up a good friendship with the Australian trainer when the two represented their respective countries in the World Driving Championships in France last year. Day offered Henry the chance to drive at a couple of meetings during his Australian holidays.

 

"It was a lot of fun," Henry told Standardbred Canada's Trot Insider. "The people here are great. Neil Day and his family have treated us awesome."

 

Henry earned his first victory Down Under in the fifth race with Benzi Marsh in a mile rate of 1:59.3 over the "good" track. He sent the 4-year-old Badlands Hanover gelding three wide from third-over down the backstretch and collared pacesetter Mister Pinjarra before the wire.

 

Henry then steered 5-year-old gelding Dyed Fast to an upset victory in the following race in a mile rate of 2:01.5. Henry positioned the son of Live Or Die in the two hole and rallied around first-over Ok Jake and the popular pacesetter, Knightsmile, down the stretch to prevail.

 

"The racing is a lot different," noted Henry, who won 530 races in 2013 to top the Canadian driving charts. "They are not afraid to sit on the outside."

 

The Day stable celebrated another victory with Day's daughter Amy driving 5-year-old Art Major son Beaver in the eighth race.

 

"Neil has his horses fit, he runs a great stable," noted the Arthur, Ont. reinsman.

 

Henry is scheduled to drive in five races tomorrow at Day's home track, Goulburn Racecourse. (SC)