Daryl Douglas abandoned family loyalty for Sunday’s historic 25,000 Greggs Electrical Ouyen Cup and he was rewarded when the Peter Tonkin-trained Devilish Smile scored a dominant win in the 2809-metre event.

The champion reinsman stuck with the horse on whom he won last year’s Group 1 Vicbred Super Series final even though his trainer/brother Glenn had two runners in the race and his decision was vindicated when the four-year-old proved too strong for Mickey Mac and Ohoka Nevada.

Prominent owner Pam Hockham, who races Devilish Smile with her husband Russell, said Douglas’s decision boosted their confidence and gave them encouragement to make the long trip from their home in Brighton and attend the first harness meeting at Ouyen since 2005.
“That was a good sign from Daryl, especially when Glenn had two in the race,” Hockham said. “We thought that was a very good sign for us.”

“I think most people were a little bit wary because he was a four-year-old up against open class horses, but he’s a very good four-year-old and he showed that.

“We took a big chance driving five hours up here, but we’re not sorry we did it now.”
Douglas produced an innovative drive to help Devilish Smile, a son of Grinfromeartoear, enhance his already impressive standing start record.

Devilish Smile landed in a dream spot early after a safe getaway from his second row starting position, but it was a lightning move at the 600m that proved decisive. Douglas vacated the one-out, two-back and surged right around to claim the front well before the home turn.

The $4.60 second elect opened up a healthy lead at the 200m and with nothing making ground from the rear, was able to cruise home by just over 10 metres from a game Mickey Mac ($7.60), who fought on well after leading.

Ohoka Nevada (20m), the $2.50 favourite, worked around to assume the death seat after a lap, but was under pressure from around the same time Douglas took off and had to settle for third, 15.7m from the winner.
Glenn Douglas’s two runners, Jukebox Music ($6.40) and Our Hillview Gold ($15) – who Daryl drove to win last year’s Ouyen Cup at Mildura – finished fifth and last respectively.

The victory was Devilish Smile’s fourth win from six starts in a stand. He has finished third the other two times, including the previous week’s Hamilton Cup, which was only his second run back from a spell that was preceded by a win in the Breeders Crown 3YO Consolation.

“It was fantastic the way he won,” Hockham said. “It was just sensational. Peter said he’s come back better, he’s a lot tougher now, and he showed that with the way he won.

“When he was one-out, one-back I knew we were in with a great chance because I know how fast he sprints home and then when Ohoka Nevada went round to the death we knew no one else would go because he wouldn’t let them past.

“We knew he’d sprint home really well, but the way he did it was fantastic.”

Devilish Smile posted a 2:03.7 mile rate, which included impressive closing sections of 29.2 and 29.1 seconds following a 62.2secs first half of the last mile.

Despite being trained just outside Ballarat, Hockham said it was unlikely Devilish Smile, now a winner of 19 of his 44 starts and $268,000, would contest Saturday night’s $125,000 PETstock Ballarat Cup and be saved for the 4YO Bonanza at Tabcorp Park the following weekend.