Barry Howlett wins Wellington and Reeves Albany Cup with Lil Happy Fella, Stuart McDonald secures winning quad

Lil Happy Fella made a barnstorming run on the final lap to pip heavy favourite Chasing Hill and claim the Wellington and Reeves Albany Cup for trainer Barry Howlett on Saturday. It is Howlett’s second major win in a month after he took out the $11,000 Lion Christmas Cup at Albany Harness Racing Club’s marquee event in December. The $20,000 Wellington and Reeves Albany Cup (2690m) was won by fast-finishing three-year-old Lil Happy Fella, who spent most of his time sitting three deep by driver Emily Suvaljko. Dashing gelding Chasing Hill ($1.28) driven by Stuart McDonald set the pace for almost three laps before Suvaljko made her move on the back straight three-wide on the outside. Lil Happy Fella churned through the field on the back straight before hitting the turn into the home stretch side by side with Chasing Hill. The pair broke away on the straight, finishing five lengths clear of Firefly ($8.00) in third, but it was Lil Happy Fella that got up by half a head over trainer Michael Young’s gelding. Despite finishing in second with Chasing Hill in the prized event, Young and McDonald combined for a quartet of wins on the evening. The pair launched out of the blocks with a hat-trick of victories in the opening three races with favourites Princess Katie ($1.40), Chillin ($1.14) and Ideal Tomado NZ ($1.04). Princess Katie stormed homed to victory by 17.1m in race one over 1832m, while Chillin blitzed the field to win by 14.1m in the Wellington and Reeves Residential Sales Pace (2265m). Ideal Tomado NZ secured the treble with a commanding 6.8m win in the Wellington and Reeves Commercial Management Pace (2265m). The dominant duo then finished the meet with a win in the final race of the evening with the punters’ choice Quintessence ($1.10). McDonald rode raging favourite Quintessence to a 3.6m victory in the Wellington and Reeves Real Estate Since 1948 4yo+ Westbred Maiden to cap off a crushing night on the track. Trainer-driver Tim Stone’s Koolbardi Navaj ($4) claimed a stunning victory over outsider Sanford Bart ($18) by 12.7m in race four’s Wellington and Reeves Rural Sales Pace (2265m). Cody Wallrodt steered trainer Sandra McKinlay’s $4.20 priced Bazza Mac NZ to triumph over fast-finishing Step It Up in race six’s Wellington and Reeves Panizza and Mier Pace (1832m). Albany will host another meeting at Harold Reid Paceway this Friday which includes the $11,00 Fillies and Mares Mile.