Felicity Reinke gets her winning groove back

By Jordan Gerrans

After losing some confidence in the bike in recent times, quiet mare Dashndot was just what hobby trainer and driver Felicity Reinke needed.

The Cushnie-based Reinke has been driving in races since 2000 before entering the training ranks in the 2014-15 term.

The 39-year-old has tallied a number of winning performances while driving for other trainers.

But, she was yet to record her maiden training triumph before Dashndot broke through on Monday evening.

Reinke rarely has a big team of pacers in work as she juggles work, family commitments and her university studies.

She has gone close to breaking through as a trainer in recent years, preparing horses to place on eight occasions.

Since bay mare Dashndot entered Reinke’s stable earlier this year, she has done the majority of the race day driving with the seven-year-old.

But, Reinke handed the reins to Adam Richardson on Monday evening and that was the winning topic needed to provide her with her first training triumph.

“Adam has won races on her before now and he has been a good mate of mine for a long while now,” Reinke said.

“She had gone good the week before and she worked well leading into the race. I was confident with her. She had drawn well over the longer trip.

“She had won over that trip before at Redcliffe so I was happy with her.”

The Reinke surname is a famous one in Queensland harness circles, dating back to the family’s involvement with former champion Wondai’s Mate.

Over 2040 metres, Dashndot did it easy as a short-priced favourite as she scored by more than 10 metres in dominant fashion.

The daughter of Follow The Stars was initially prepared by Doug Hewitt in the Sunshine State.

She won at Redcliffe in the middle of February and almost immediately was put up for sale.

After a fall in the sulky dented Reinke’s self-belief somewhat, the passionate horsewoman was in search of a new pacer and Dashndot came along at the perfect time.

“I had lost a bit of confidence driving another horse that tipped me out and I was told 'Dot' was nice and quiet,” she recalls.

“Everything Doug told me about how she was, that was right.

“I just wanted a nice, quiet little horse for me to get back driving and training with myself. I have got my confidence back and she is a lovely horse to have around.

“She is no issue to have around, we all love ‘Dotty’.”

On top of her driving and training, Reinke wears a number of hats with her horse pursuits.

Earlier this year she swapped the track for the showring to compete with mare Pretty Good Reason and gelding Parcellaires in the Standardbred Led Classes at the Ekka.

She has also taken on a number of retired racehorses, including Everydays A Sunday, among others, while also competing in camp drafting events.

Reinke’s teenage daughter is keen to follow her mother into the driving ranks in the Sunshine State and Dashndot is helping her get there.

“She is just a lovely little horse that has her own quirks,” she said.

“She is really good for my daughter who is learning to drive with her.

“My daughter is keen to go into driving and she seems to have a lot of natural ability.”

Dashndot is likely to head back to Redcliffe for her next assignment.