'Something special': Tom Ison wins memorial race named for grandfather

In combination with Faiselle, the 23-year-old driver achieved that dream on Thursday afternoon at the Tamworth HRC meeting.

"Winning that race has just topped my week," Ison said. "It was something special."

Ison's grandfather - the late Sam Ison - was a past president of the Tamworth HRC and harness enthusiast who watched his son Andy join the industry along with his grandchildren.

"It is absolutely special to win that race - even though we left the presentation rug at home," Ison said.

Ison was fresh off winning the Billy Grima Memorial last week at Tamworth.

"I was confident going into the race but thought the stablemate I'm Compliant might have had the edge on us - I thought that would be the only horse that could beat us," added Ison.

After a massive storm hit the track just before race time, Ison wondered if the race would go ahead.

"The rain made it a heavy track surface but the track staff got it back in race order pretty quick for us to race once the storm had cleared," Ison said.

With Everything Happens from the Richard Williams stable taking the lead, Ison raced his charge Faiselle out in the breeze, before taking the lead.

"When Richie's horse [Everything Happens] broke and I got the lead I thought 'you beauty'," Ison said.

Leading for the remainder of the 1980-metre race, Ison elected to let the six-year-old Betterthancheddar mare slide along from the 500-metre mark with stablemate I'm Compliant giving chase.

Faiselle held on for a winning margin of a half head over stablemate I'm Compliant (Jake Hughes) and $4.40 race favourite The Narrator (Blake Hughes) 4.3 metres away in third.

"She [Faiselle] has been good to us. I think she is one of my favourite horses and today she hit the top of the list," Ison said.

Ison was also proud that his father, Andy, had trained the quinella in the race in Faiselle and I'm Compliant.

"Dad has done a super job," Tom said, having driven a winner earlier in the meeting to take out the M and M Office National Tamworth Pace with Blissfull Identity.

Trained in Gunnedah by Mick Finlay for his wife Deborah, Blissfull Identity was also involved in a close finish holding a half neck win over Our Roys Dream (Sam Ison) and $1.28 race favourite Home And Dry (Blake Hughes) a neck away in third.

"That was a good tough win today," Ison said of the five-year-old Blissfull Hall gelding's run.

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