Village patrol give training centre students a big thrill
3 May 2012 - Bendigo Harness Racing Training Centre's team celebrated a victory with stable favourite Village Patrol in today's Barooga Lions Club Pace Final at Cobram. Eight-year-old Village Jasper gelding, Village Patrol, driven by leading female young driver Ellen Tormey, stuck its head out on the line to win the $5,000 Final in a photo finish. The official margin was a short half head over River Breeze (Nathan Jack) with Falcon Doors only a neck away rounding out the top three finishers. The victory was Village Patrol's first triumph in 18 months but followed minor placings at Bendigo and Kyabram last month. "I'm thrilled for the girls," Harness Racing Training Centre chairman, Steve Warren said, referring to the trainer Roma Pocock and the female students who look after Village Patrol. He said the students went up to cheer on the horse. Its also part of their training to attend race meetings and prepare the horses for races. "They would have got a lot out of that win," Warren said. The HRTC Bendigo has a group of 12 keen students who are working to develop their knowledge and skills. - David Aldred