THE Glen Craven-driven Keayang Steamer won Sunday's $60,000 Wimmera Mail-Times Horsham Pacing Cup in a thrilling finish at Horsham Racing Centre.
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Trained by Margaret Lee in Terang, the five-year-old came around the final corner and overtook superstar Smoken Up to run away with a three-and-a-half-metre victory.
Smoken Up worked his way to the front in the 2700-metre race and held the lead until the final turn.
He finished second ahead of Hugo Play and I'm Corzin Terror.
Wimmera hopeful National Service finished fifth ahead of the pre-race favourite Abettorpunt bred by Horsham's Terry Lewis in sixth.
Craven said he had confidence in Keayang Steamer going into the corner in just his second race back from a spell.
"Smoken Up's probably one of the toughest horses going around he's been racing for years," he said.
"Going into the last corner, my bloke was travelling quite good I thought I'd make the most of it.
"We've been waiting for so long to get him over that sort of distance."
The Craven-Lee dynasty also achieved success in race six, with Lee combining with her son and driver Jason Lee for victory with Keayang Starzzz.
For those who braved the wind and odd spot of rain, the feature race turned out to be highly-entertaining and played out under clear skies on a relatively dry Horsham track.
Horsham and District Racing Club president Justin Lane said the fantastic afternoon was full of highlights.
"Considering the weather, it was quite a healthy crowd," he said.
"One of the highlights was Blitzthemcalder winning the Trotters Cup - he's an upcoming superstar.
"For people to see a horse like that is spectacular."
The four-year-old Blitzthemcalder, trained by Dean Braun in Lara and owned by former Donald racing identity Rick Burchell, won the Conch Deville Horsham Trotters Cup by a massive margin.
Mr Lane said the Horsham Pacing Cup was a fantastic race, despite his own horse National Service being unlucky.
He said there were high hopes ahead for Keayang Steamer.
"It was an outstanding race by the winner to sit outside Smoken Up and run away with it," he said.
"He's going to be an outstanding horse too."
