Racing: Mitchell powers ahead

An elated Todd Mitchell salutes Prime Power's win. Photo / Race Images

On Saturday afternoon, two men 1000km and a generation apart cried over the same horse.

For one they were tears of relief, tinged with regret. For the other they were tears of pride.

When Prime Power won the 3-year-old trot at the Jewels at Ashburton it capped the comeback for one of harness racing's most enigmatic talents.

It was the first group one training success as a trainer for Todd Mitchell but it meant much more than that.

Mitchell has been known for a decade as the carefree reinsman who partnered four NZ Cup winners in almost as many years.

However, that is where his harness racing career almost stalled as he was disqualified from training for some sloppy drug mistakes last year.

He took a manual job at Pencarrow Stud, started to like the less-pressured lifestyle and was in danger of becoming little more than a pub quiz question in the history of racing.

But talent like Mitchell's is rare and he knew if he walked away from the industry he would have been shortchanging himself.

So when his time was up, Mitchell came back to training hope for that one break all struggling horsemen, particularly those on the verge of being forgotten, need.

It came in the form of Prime Power, a speedy trotter in need of some ironing out as trainer Bryan Macey was primarily a hobbyist.

Macey trusted Mitchell with his baby, Mitchell repaid his faith and on Saturday the tears flowed as Mitchell returned to the winner's circle because he knows not everybody gets a second chance.

At his farm in Raglan, Mitchell's father Robert was also in tears, tears of joy and pride that the son he had sacrificed his own driving career to promote hadn't thrown it all away.

"I realise I made a mistake, not because I was trying to cheat but because I was careless," said Todd.

"But I have learned from that and to think I was out there today, lucky enough to be doing it all again, it just meant that much to me.

"And I hope this is the horse I have needed to get me back to where I want to be. He is a great little horse and he will only get better."

Already Mitchell has regained plenty of support in the ultra competitive northern driving scene and Saturday was a reminder of his unwavering nerve on the biggest occasions.