Harness Racing: Dream Broken Hill debut for Dean Chapple with three winners from three runners

After following his dream, Chapple headed out to the Broken Hill Harness Racing Club meeting on Friday night with three runners and will make the return trip home with three winners on the float.

"They call me the Broken Hill Bandit now," the Moonbi trainer and reinsman joked.

Chapple left his Gully Lodge stables at Moonbi last Wednesday to make the 1,043 kilometre journey out to Broken Hill.

He was scheduled to contest the final three races on the program, and there was no disappointment with Chapple securing wins in all three races - including the feature race on the night.

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"When I went around on the third horse the crowd was wild," he said.

Chapple made his debut at Broken Hill in the feature race for the night -the $16,000 Rocky Baker Memorial Pacing Cup over 2500 metres with Right On With It from the nine barrier.

"I had a plan. Elect To Rock was my danger but I got in front of her and Ashleigh (Camilleri) had to come around me and when that happened it put some speed into the race," he said.

"My horse didn't get much luck until about the last 200 metres and he had never been one to dig deep but he did in that race."

Chapple made his race move with Right On With It as the bell heralded the final lap to race four wide and grab $1.10 race favourite and Globe Derby pacer This Is Bill (Ryan Hryhorec) on the line. It went to a photo, the judge declaring the win by a short half head for Chapple.

"It did take a long time for the judge to make his decision but by the time the decision had come down I had already claimed the race," he said with a smile.

"I thought I had got him but it is a bit difficult with the angles on the smaller tracks."

Another South Australian runner in Let's Get Shorty (Michael Smith) finished 19.5 metres away third.

"If any horse deserved to win a big race it was that horse," he said of the nine-year-old gelding.

"It certainly was just something special and I now have the biggest trophy that I have ever seen."

With Broken Hill being a 602-metre track and a home straight having a length of 84 metres Chapple reproduced his skills from driving on the old Newcastle and Maitland tracks in his earlier driving career.

Don't Tell Dorothy then had race honours in the following event - the Mawson Concrete & Quarries Pace, with Chapple once again having to wait on the judge's result.

"I only made my decision to take him (Don't Tell Dorothy) the day before I left on the trip" he said.

"He didn't handle the track all that well but he dug deep. I thought the only thing that could beat him was bad luck but it turned out great."

After enjoying the run of the race in the one-by-one Chapple made his move in the back straight to once again feature in a photo finish, which may have felt a bit like deja vu with Chapple once again claiming victory over Ryan Hryhorec.

Don't Tell Dorothy was declared the winner by a half head over Glam Rock (Hryhorec) and Roll With Eva (Ray Slater) 17 metres away third.

Chapple then picked up his third training and driving victory in the final event with the win of Nor Westa in the Getting There Excavations Pace aver 2210 metres.

"I thought that was the only one of my horses that could have a chance of winning when I left home," he said of the five-year-old mare raced by Tamworth's Dave Walters and Mick McIlroy.

"But she won accordingly."

Walters accompanied Chapple on the trip to Broken Hill.

Nor Westa held a 9.4 metre win over Arrokeefe (Michael Smith) with Colorado Boy (Ryan Hyrohec) another 19 metres away third.

"It is just like the old days of racing out here at Broken Hill. The Club has been so welcoming and looking after our needs - there is no regrets making the decision to travel all the way out here - it has just been magical," Chapple said.

"I couldn't really let anything sink in on the night -it was so hectic being in three races one after the other and my strappers were still at home."

Chapple made the venture to Broken Hill with wife Julie with children Elly and Jack remaining at home to keep the Gully Lodge stables operating with another 13 horses still in training.

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