Elly Chapple: Moonbi reinswoman has taken the plunge in the big smoke

The Moonbi 19-year-old is now in the employ of the Menangle-based husband and wife training team of Robbie and KerryAnn Morris.

"It was something that I always wanted to do and I thought, if I don't go now, I don't know when the opportunity would come around again," Chapple said.

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With no fanfare, Chapple quietly departed the North West for the big smoke three weeks ago.

"I wanted to go and to slip away quietly," Chapple smiled. "I wanted to keep it low key.

"I just needed to get out and have a go.

"It was a chance to learn a bit more about the industry and get more experience."

Chapple linked with her trainer father, Dean, at the Maitland harness meeting last Monday and drove a winner behind Don't Tell Dorothy.

Deemed to have delivered a handy drive by those on course, Chapple raced on the back of frontrunner Can't Explain It, before extricating Don't Tell Dorothy off the inside running line and switching three wide on the final turn.

Steaming down the outside, Don't Tell Dorothy grabbed Pocket More For Less (Tom Ison) on the line for a head win - with Can't Explain It 3.3m away in third place. The winning mile rate was 1min 58.7sec for 2044m.

On Tuesday, Chapple make her debut for the Lucky Lodge Stables when she sat behind Gold Sovereign to finish fifth in the Menangle Country Club Trotters Standing Start Handicap.

"It was exciting," Chapple said of her first drive at headquarters.

"It was a case of three new things on one day - first drive behind a trotter, first standing start and my first drive at Menangle," she added.

One thing about Chapple is she has always been on a mission: she's put in the hard work and had success.

After overcoming serious injuries in a horror race fall at Inverell in March 2020 (she was choppered to Lismore Hospital for surgery), Chapple headed back to Tamworth Paceway to drive winners.

She has already overcome obstacles that would have deterred others.

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Another driver who enjoyed success at the Maitland meeting was freelance reinsman Tom Ison, who notched three wins.

Ison commenced with a win behind the $2.10 race favourite and Stacie Elliott-trained Corporal Jujon, followed by a win behind the $1.12 race favourite and Mike Orr-trained Stephen Kilroy.

He rounded out the day by steering the $2.50 race favourite and Leon Jurd-trained Minimum Wage to victory.

Ison also picked up two second placings for the Leon Jurd stables, with I'm Compliant beaten by a head by Big Black Diamond (Michael Formosa).

Pocket More For Less was beaten by a head by Chapple's Don't Tell Dorothy.

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Narrabri pacer Kid Montana will be engaged at Albion Park on Saturday night in the Ultimate Tools Open Pace. The gelding will commence from the five barrier and will be driven by is trainer, Lola Weidemann.

The Kid won a trial on Wednesday night at Redcliffe, recording a mile rate of 1.57.1 for 1780m.

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