Harness Racing: I'm Freyja chasing three on the trot at Tamworth meeting

I'm Freyja is fresh off winning the Armidale HRC Bill Barraclough and Kevin Ward Memorial last Sunday at the Armidale Carnival of Cups meeting.

"We would have been happy to just pick up one race win with her," Tom Ison said post-race with I'm Freyja now having produced two wins from only two starts for the stable.

"That was a very nice race to win at Armidale and the gig as a trophy is an added bonus. It's really good to come up here to Armidale and race, we really love it."

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"She (I'm Freyja) wasn't at her best last week when she won but she got the job done".

He added: "We know she is good with a sit in the race, that is how we work her and she just comes home so great each time so I was pretty confident".

"I thought it depended on how Blissfull Identity was driven, and it was driven pretty hard, so I knew she (I'm Freyja) had speed but it just depended on where we lobbed early in the race".

With Blissfull Identity, out of the 10 barrier, taking the lead when the field had settled, Ison raced three back on the outside running line before making a three wide run around the final bend.

I'm Freyja came away for a 6.6m win over Sahara Jewel (Jack Buckman) at a mile rate of 1.58.7 for the 1609m with Our Roys Dream (Sam Ison) 2.4m away third.

Grace Panella meanwhile won the Roberts & Morrow Accountants Armidale Gig Final with Western Ricki after taking out a heat the week prior.

"He's a star that horse," Panella said on returning to scale with the Western Terror gelding.

Western Ricki has only had four race starts for the Clayton Harmey stables for three wins and a second.

"I was hoping for a place slot at best as we had the draw outside the favourite which wasn't ideal," Panella said.

Race favourite ($1.12) and stablemate Comet Crusader (Blake Hughes) commenced from the four barrier and commandeered the race lead from the outset.

"When we got to the chair (outside leader) he was probably pulling a little too hard," Panella said.

"I very much dislike driving in the chair, and I have never actually won a race from there but the horse felt really good up the back and when he levelled up with Comet Crusader, he just kept kicking".

Western Ricki secured a 3m win over Comet Crusader with I'm Rowdy (Tom Ison) 2.9m away third.

Panella will have four drives at the Tamworth harness meeting.

The third feature on the Armidale Carnival of Cups meeting was won by the Richard Williams-trained Gottashopearly, driven by Caitlin McElhinney.

"The horse went good and got the job done right on the line," said McElhinney after Gottashopearly took out the DUCATS Earthmoving Armidale Cup by 1.5m from Warfare (Dean Chapple). Overthemoon (Tom Ison) was another 7.8m away third.

"The horse felt so good in running for the whole race," she added.

"When we pulled out and he found running I was pretty confident that he would run the leader down - it was definitely a good win for the horse."

With Thundamental (Grace Panella) leading the field McElhinney found the one-by-one racing position before racing Gottashopearly three wide around the final turn to claim another Cup race win in the north west.

Gottashopearly won a Tamworth City Cup in 2019 and 2020, and after the Armidale Cup win will now be aimed for a Narrabri Cup.

16-year-old reinsman Jack Buckman also secured his first career win when he guided Always Bopping, who is trained by his uncle Jarred Hetherington at Narrabri, to a win.

"It feels good," Buckman said after the win.

"I got a bit excited heading to the line but the horse felt super."

Always Bopping achieved a half neck win over Mythos (Blake Hughes) with Stilton (Caitlin McElhinney) 2.8m away third.