Royce Nutt faced that experience at the Shepparton trots meeting last Sunday week and celebrated with a quiet whisky at home in his Stanhope shed. Alone.
‘‘I’m self distancing, but I’m still very happy,’’ Nutt chuckled.
Nutt’s subdued celebrations came after he had steered the Gary Merkel-trained Roslyn Gaye to victory at the nice odds of 12/1 in the last race at last Sunday’s trots meeting at Shepparton.
Nutt used the five-year-old Artistic Fella’s mare blinding gate speed to take over the front running early.
With a perfectly judged race the pair prevailed over the more fancied Joonior Brown with the fast finishing favourite Cloudet filling the minor placing.
It was only Nutt’s third drive on the pacer who chalked up her seventh career win with the success.
And Roslyn Gaye’s mile rate of 1.56.4 for the 1690m dash was a PB and was also easily the quickest run of the meeting.
‘‘I really thought she had a good chance so it was great. I’m pretty happy I can tell you,’’ said 60-year-old Nutt reflecting on the win.
Nutt recalled his last win in the sulky was 20 years ago when he won on the Kevin McCluskey trained Take The Field at Cobram.
‘‘After that I had 18 years away from the game and I’ve only been mucking around again with them (horses) for the last couple of years or so,’’ Nutt reflected.
Nutt said he was now doing the driving for veteran Tongala hobby trainer Gary Merkel.
‘‘Gary asked me to drive for him and it’s working out pretty well at the moment. I just hope it can continue,’’ added Nutt.
Nutt wasn’t the only Stanhope horseman to savour a win at the meeting.
Gary Pekin produced Cresco Repeat for his fourth career win for this season.
The four-year-old Blissfull Hall rig was able to fend off a wall of challengers in the home stretch after a daring Pekin drive.
Pekin took Cresco Threepeat to the death seat for the last lap to justify betting support for the pacer.
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