David Drurys Steam Machine

There is more to come from Steam Machine, a brilliant winner of the Listed $25,000 SA BOTRA Southern Stars final (1800m) at Globe Derby Park on Saturday.

Trainer-driver David Drury, from Mingbool, about 370km from Adelaide in South Australia’s South-East, said the two-year-old was basically in the kindergarten stage of his education.

“Until I took him to the Mount Gambier track to qualify to race, he had never seen a track or another horse to go with him,” Drury said.

“I had done all the prep work with him around the track I have on my property.

“When he ran second on debut at Mount Gambier, it was the first time he had competed against other horses.”

Steam Machine ($2.30 fav) showed the benefit of that first run, displaying his obvious talent, racing away to a 27-1/2 metre win in the Southern Stars beating Lardy Dah Lady ($11) with Oaklander ($8), 12 metres away third.

“Tonight was the first time he has had to travel as well,” Drury added.

“He had a five-hour trip to Globe Derby Park, then had to stand around for three hours before he raced.

“Ideally, I would have liked to lead but the way the race developed he had to sit parked.

“I decided to put the pressure on the leader from the 500-metre mark, and he exploded away. He did what I thought he would.”

Drury flourished his whip close to the finish line in the delight of winning the feature.

Steam Machine cost $40,000 as a yearling at the Southern Stars Sales and is raced by Drury and a group of friends including the gelding’s breeders Bob and Zita Maloney.

The gelding is the sixth foal out of the quality mare Steam Washed and his win means all progeny have been successful.

Steam Washed was a Group 1 winner of the SA Oaks, a multiple Melton winner and raced against the best of her sex during a brilliant career, and now, as a broodmare, she is producing quality offspring.

Drury said he would freshen Steam Machine before selecting feature races later in the season.

Surprisingly, Steam Machine’s 27-1/2 metre winning margin wasn’t the biggest of the night.

In the following event, the Pacing For Pink Fundraiser May 31 @ GDP Pace (2230m), Captain Perfect, winner of the SA St Leger a week earlier, thrashed his rivals by an incredible 55-1/2 metres.

Trained by Emma Stewart and driven by Wayne Hill, the three-year-old colt was a virtually unbackable $1.07 favourite and took the lead with a lap and a half to run to demoralize his opposition.

Reinsman Wayne Hill said Captain Perfect was an outstanding colt.

“He ran a quick time of 1:57.0 over the 2230m which was very good,” Hill said.

“The lead time of 44.3 seconds was very fast.

“Once he found the front, he grabbed the bit and he trucked with a 28.7 second first quarter, then 30.2, 29 and 29.9 so the time was very good.

“He travelled up and could have gone another lap, he felt amazing.”

A brilliant final seems assured this Saturday night for the $14,000 Ladbrokes Pace Final (1800m) following two outstanding heats on Saturday.

Angle Vale trainer-driver produced Don Arthur with a brilliant sprint to take out heat one.

Girardi produced an excellent drive to bring Don Arthur ($8.50) from three back on the fence to flash home out wide for a 1-1/12 metre win from Alora ($3.40 fav) with Duke Of Dundee ($7.50), 4-1/2 metres away third.

He rated 1:56.6 while Always Dancing recorded 1:57.0 in winning heat two.

Driver Wayne Hill grabbed the leader from gate two on Always Dancing ($1.45 fav) and the three-year-old was never challenged winning by nine metres from Just Chai ($7) with Major Icon ($21), a metre away third.

The winner is trained in Mount Gambier by Alyce Finnis who stayed home to celebrate husband Jayson’s 34^th birthday, leaving Globe Derby Park trainer Bronte Giorgio to take care of the colt.

Apart from his wins on Always Dancing and Captain Perfect, Hill also scored on Lizzie Shelby for Gawler trainer Peter Bain in the NC Equine Pacing For Pink Pace (1800m).

Lizzie Shelby ($1.33 fav) unleashed a devastating sprint down the back straight to assume control and win by 16 metres from Lochinvar Ruler ($15) with Meet Me At The Beach ($4.40), two metres away third.

The win was Bain a perfect record of six winners from six runners in 2025, but that run came to an end in the following event, the Table Of Knowledge Pacing For Pink Pace (1800m).

Bain geared up La Moth ($1.75 fav) which sat parked but had no answer to Alive And Free ($5.50), trained and driven by Samantha Hill, which dashed up the sprint lane to grab a 1-1/2 metre win.

Alive And Free made it two wins in a row and Samantha Hill was delighted with the victory.

“Last week he came from midfield with a sustained run, and then week sprinted up the lane – he is proving himself Mr Versatile,” Hill said.

“He is only a little horse, but he loves his racing and has been excellent in these wins.”

Two Wells trainer Ryan Hryhorec took a weekend off for a break, but it did not stop his stable producing winners.

Hryhorec is already up to 60 winners in 2025 with more than seven months of the season still be decided.

His winners were both square gaiters, and both driven by Danielle Hill.

Almighty Fear was having his first start for Hryhorec after campaigning in Western Australia.

The seven-year-old, a $3.90 chance, assumed control coming off the back to score a 9-1/2 metre win in the Peak DNK @ Bellmoure Park Trotters Mobile (2230m) from Ikigai ($2.80 fav) with Cyclone S Adams ($12), 2-1/2 metres away third.

While Almighty Fear won well, there is little doubt Ikigai was most unlucky.

The four-year-old mare started from gate one on the second row and galloped at mobile dispatch losing about 40 metres.

Once she got trotting, the mare caught the field, then worked home powerfully to finish second.

Trainer-driver David Smith said Ikigai had resented sand being thrown up into her face leading up to the start causing her to gallop.

Hryhorec’s other winner was Thunder Wing which came off a 10-metre handicap to win the What The Hill CA @ Woodlands Stud Trotters Handicap (2230m).

A $6.50 chance, Thunder Wing ($6.50) scored by a neck from So Vogue ($4.60) with Majestic Summer ($51), three metres away third.

• Graham Fischer
• Walter Bulyga