Ison goes digging for Gold

IT’S that golden time of the year again at Tamworth and local reinsman Tom Ison has declared he’s 'pumped and ready to collect some of the glitter'.

Ison has nine drives on Tuesday night at the “kick start” meeting for the Tamworth HRC January racing carnival, including a drive in the feature race on the program – the $12,000 Pub Group Gold Nugget.

The race which carries a gold nugget as the winning trophy is a race Ison has wanted to tick off his “bucket list” for a while.

“I would love to win the Gold Nugget race,” said Ison, who secured his first leg of the gold trifecta in 2021 when he drove Pitch Perfect to a win in the Tamworth City Cup for the Roy Roots Jnr stables.

“The Gold Nugget and a Golden Guitar Final are on my bucket list – I would like to complete the trifecta,” said Ison.

“This is my third attempt at winning the Gold Nugget so third time lucky, I hope.”

It was a tough decision as to what horse Ison would partner when his own pacer Metallica Man drew the first emergency, and he accepted the drive behind Boyzhavtime for the Roots stable.

“I would actually prefer that my bloke (Metallica Man) got a run,” said Ison.

Still the young reinsman is looking forward to teaming up with his old boss in Roy Roots jnr, who was the trainer of Pitch Perfect.

“It is always good to be back with the old team,” said Ison.

The Pub Group Gold Nugget race has drawn Queensland contenders in Despondent, Surf Ace and Hy Voltage all from the Graham Dwyer stables and Geldof from the Ryan Veivers stables.

Hunter Valley will have Rocktagonal from the Darren Elder stables along with the Roy Roots jnr stables - Boyzhavtime and Betterthanfederer and two runners from the Clayton Harmey stables.

Harmey has Portalegre returning to defend his title after the pacer won the race last year and will be driven by Blake Hughes, also looking to retain his winning title in the race after partnering Portalegre in last year’s win.

Stablemate and winner at last week’s Tamworth meeting Johnson Step will be driven by Grace Panella.

Portalegre was also the winner of the Tamworth City Cup last year as well.

North-west Cups king Gottashopearly from the Richard Williams stables and driven by Caitlin McElhinney will be the sole local contender.

“I don’t think it is an overly strong field but the draw is what will sort them all out,” said Ison.

“Clayton’s runners will be hard to beat but they have the worst draws in the race. [Portalegre and Johnson Step drew 10 and 11 barriers respectively].

Ison will come into the meeting fresh off a win at Tamworth last Thursday with the Brendan James-trained Mega Star, which was the second leg of a training double for James with Zoemagic winning earlier in the meeting for Grace Panella.

“That was pretty special to bring up the training double for Brendan – it was his first training double and one he has been trying to achieve for a while now,” said Ison.

Ison is still pumped with how his own stable and that of his father Andy have finished off the 2022 racing season at Tamworth.

Tom Ison secured the Multiquip Drivers’ Premiership with 53 wins for the season while father Andy secured the Hygain Trainers’ Premiership with 39 wins.

Andy Ison also secured the KTR Standardbred Horse of the Year and the Peter and Diane McNamara Local Horse Premiership in a dead heat with two of his stable runners in Our Roys Dream and Rockin In Chelsea.

Rockin In Chelsea also secured the TAB Mare of the Year.

“It was a pretty big effort for the stables,” said Ison with 16 horses in work between he and his father.

“The whole stable went well and we also had two trips to Queensland as well and produced winners there as well.”

Focussing on the Pub Group Gold Nugget, Tom Ison feels it “will be on from the outset” with the race to be contested over 1980 metres.

“It will be a tough race and the survival of the fittest in the end,” said Ison, who will be wishing his own pacer Metallica Man can gain that enviable run from the one barrier.

• JULIE MAUGHAN