John Morrison has time to smile for the camera as he gets Di Caprio over the line in the Hororata Cup at Methven. Photos Heather MackenzieA Mid Canterbury local stole the show on the Hororata Trotting Club’s annual meeting at Methven on Sunday.

Former Ashburton boy, John Morrison, continued his golden run in the sulky this season when he claimed the day’s feature, the Hororata Cup with Di Caprio for legendary trainer Brian O’Meara.

And for good measure, Morrison had already been in the winners’ circle earlier in the day when he made a push for one of the front-running drives of the season on the Methven trained, Stellar Success.

The winning double took Morrison to 31 winners for the season and kept him in the hunt for the national junior drivers’ premiership behind leader, Sheree Tomlinson.

Morrison and Di Caprio had won at last weekend’s Geraldine meeting in Orari, but faced a major rise in grade yesterday, not that it stopped them.

Stuck in behind traffic half way down the straight, Morrison found clear air and the showy pacer burst through to claim the feature win.

While many expected Di Caprio to win, the victory of Stellar Success was a little more of a surprise.

Morrison threw caution to the wind with an all-the-way effort in which he had his rivals off the bit for the entire journey.

When he kicked clear at the top of the straight, Stellar Success had enough of a margin to hold off the late challenge of Rocknpop to claim success.

A seven-year-old mare by Great Success, Stellar Success is raced by the Gorman family by Methven – making for an impressive local victory.

Morrison added placings on both Victor Tango and Cheezel to cap off a good day at the office.

Stellar Success’ victory wasn’t the only Methven success though.

A few races earler Ricky May and his father Terry combined to win with Tabitha Franco for one of New Zealand’s longest standing ownership syndicates, the Strappers Syndicate.

A consistent mare who has been right amongst the action in all her career starts, Tabitha Franco surged to the lead at the top of the straight for May and held too many guns for her rivals, winning impressively.

The Neumann family continued their great start to 2019 when their promising trotter, You Really Got Me won the opening race of the day for Robert and John Dunn.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 10 February 2019