Drama reigns as siblings quinella cup

DRAMA: Driver/trainer Aran Donnelly moves to her fallen horse Sicilian Secret as the field continues on in the Cup race.

THE $8000 Schnapps Bar at National Park Wanganui Cup stayed in the Abernethy family but it was younger brother Sailesh driving Shestherealdeal who got up over his three-peat hunting older sibling Jay and the favourite Gwendene yesterday afternoon.

The dramatic 2600m feature race began with a false start and turned into a nerve-wracking second half after Cambridge's Sicilian Secret reared up and fell at the first turn to the home stretch.

She wasn't moving while tended by driver/trainer Arna Donnelly and the race attendants. Stewards kept one eye on the fallen horse while the remaining 12 horses continued on, with the possibility of a stoppage hanging in the air.

Shestherealdeal, second $7 favourite behind $2.30 Gwendene coming off the 30m handicap, had settled into her groove ahead of Manawatu's Bankcard and Roto-o-Rangi's Chequene Rosie.

Literally seconds before the field reached Sicilian Secret who was surrounded by officials, Donnelly got her charge up and they moved infield, sending the bunch wide.

Shestherealdeal pinned the ears back and won in a time of 3m 37.9s. Gwendene made the move to the outside and rapidly began to close the distance, but ultimately ran out of room and was beaten by around a third of a length, with Bankcard hanging on for third.

After back-to-back victories for Jay Abernethy, it was Sailesh winning the Cup with Shestherealdeal's owner Adrienne Matthews of Pukekohe, the pair having been successful together in the Cup three years ago.

"I think that might have been Sailesh's third win," Matthews said.

She admitted her heart was in her mouth as the bunch approached the fallen Sicilian Secret.

"You just really hope they get the horse up and everything's was alright. I know Arna, we chat a lot.

"You just hope for all the connections that everything's all right."

Matthews said her winning horse has a few little issues so they are likely to stick to grass track racing.

"She's won a lot of races on grass."

Despite scary moments in the feature and the rain coming on-and-off in the early afternoon, the Wanganui Trotting Club got through their full nine-race card in front of a small crowd.