Good night out for Wayne Hill at Globe
South Australia’s leading reinsman Wayne Hill dominated Saturday’s Globe Derby Park meeting driving five winners on the eight-race program.
It is the sixth time, Hill, 43, has driven five winners at a meeting, his first being 20 years ago in March 2006. He has also driven six winners at a meeting, three times.
He is just 21 wins away from a career highlight of 2500 victories and is only $22,000 away from having his drives earning $10 million.
“I love driving winners but don’t look at those type of stats, so it is good to know,” Hill said.
“I am lucky to drive some really nice horses, and it has been good to drive for Emma Victorian trainer Emma Stewart).
Stewart supplied three of Hill’s five winners on Saturday.
Two-year-old Spirit Of Kezza was the first of Stewart’s treble in heat four of the 2026 SA BOTRA Kindergarten Series (1800m).
The filly, owned by Aaron Bain Racing, won heat two seven days earlier but was more impressive this week.
A $1.15 favourite, Spirit of Kezza was taken to the lead by Hill after several hundred metres and won untouched by 11 metres from Seabreeze Lad ($12) with Buildthemanastatue ($9.50), 20 metres away third.
“She actually a hairy moment at the start,” Hill said.
“She copped a squeeze at the start, and I thought she might gallop but luckily she didn’t.
“Last week she raced a bit ungenerously around the home turn but wore a head check tonight and was a lot better.”
Hill said Spirit Of Kezza would return to Stewart’s Victorian stables before coming back to Adelaide for the $16,000 Kindergarten final (1800m) at Globe Derby Park on Saturday, April 25.
Stewart’s second winner was Signature Look ($1.10 fav) in the Bargain Steel Centre Pace (1800m).
“Pre-race I was worried just where I would settle coming from barrier six,” Hill said.
“There was good speed inside and I feared being caught three wide, but I was pleased the colt was able to find the front.
“We had a 28.6 second third quarter which took the sting out of his rivals.”
Signature Look, owned by Aaron Bain Racing and a group of their owners, is unbeaten in five starts.
He won by nine metres from Deuce Coupe ($11) with Cyclone Brenda ($41), seven metres away third.
The Stewart treble came up with Letsstartinheaven in the Ray White Commercial Adelaide Pace (1800m).
Another three-year-old owned by Aaron Bain Racing and a few friends, Letsstartinheaven, atoned for a second at Victor Harbor, six days prior.
“He did it tough and ran well behind a good horse at Victor,” Hill said.
“He had to do it tough early tonight but once he found the front was always in control, and again, we had a 28 second third quarter which was too much for his rivals.”
Letsstartinheaven ($1.08 fav) scored by 11 metres from Alora ($31) with Alive And Free ($1), 13 metres away third.
Signature Look and Letsstartinheaven may now be transferred to trainer Peter Bain’s stable to continue their racing experiences before heading back to Emma Stewart for features later in the season.
Hill’s first winner on Saturday was the veteran Neds Beach for trainer Reece Moore in the SA Horse Of The Year Function May 1 Pace (1800m), the opening event at the meeting.
A 10-year-old, Neds Beach ($4.80) recorded his 28th career win with a four-metre victory from Tommy Mach ($34) with Hy Filante ($2.40 fav), a metre away third.
“Reece has done a great job with him.
“We settled in the running line from gate two and had a good one-out, one-back trail before sprinting home to win.
“That was the fourth win this season for Neds Beach, so he is certainly racing well despite his age.”
Hill’s fifth winner was Spirit Of Anarchy for Victorian trainer Brent Lilley.
Spirit Of Anarchy ($3.80) trailed the leader Hasty Bid ($8.50) before dashing up the sprint lane to win by two metres.
Lilley said he has 40 horses in work in Victoria, and the winner was just one of two pacers in his stable.
“He has now won in three Australian starts having previously scored at Menangle Park in Sydney, Melton in Victoria, now Globe Derby Park in Adelaide,” Lilley said.
“I have trained a lot of horses for Trevor Casey from New Zealand, and he sent this bloke across.
“He has been going okay but I thought he would be suited across here and so it proved.”
Lilley headed home to Melbourne on Sunday morning to go to a yearling sale searching for his next champion.
Hill said the five-year-old had begun nicely from gate one on the second row.
“The plan was always to trail Hasty Bid which looked the leader,” Hill said.
“When the leader got away with a slow 32.5 second quarter I thought he might be hard to run down but my bloke was good enough.”
Hill said despite his five winners, one drive he thought would win was Spirit Of Anarchy’s stablemate El Conqueror which could only finish third in the Hahn Super Dry Trotters Handicap (2230m).
“Despite his 20-metre handicap, I thought his second in Charlton Cup at his most recent run was great form.
“I took him three wide but once he got outside the leader he levelled out and could only run third.”
- story Graham Fischer
- photo Walter Bulyga