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Brian Cookson and Keith Gilmore have been waiting a while for another win together - 29 years in fact.
But that drought ended last night when Och Aye The Noo cleared the maiden trotting ranks with an impressive win at Forbury Park.
Cookson and Gilmore, both of Dunedin, were in the Mazda Syndicate which part-owned Knowing Joy, a winner at Hutt Park in February 1985 for trainer Brian Anngow when Anngow was based at Wylies Crossing.
Gilmore went on to race Knowing Joy's fourth foal, Afella's Boy, who won at Addington in 2000, but it has been a longer drought for Cookson.
Mosgiel trainer Martin Denton joins Cookson and Gilmore in the ownership, along with Tuatapere dairy farmer Jimmy Vaughan.
Och Aye The Noo is out of Denton's broodmare, Nickety Nackety Noo, and Denton was keen to give his mates a chance to get involved once he knew the mare could trot.''
I've always liked her and Brian and Keith hadn't had much luck so I said `I'll lease you this one','' Denton said.
''It's all good for guys who want to get in and enjoy racing, and these guys enjoy racing. It's nice to have a win for them.''
Denton has a bit of time for the Pegasus Spur 4yr-old, comparing her to recent stablemate Mum Beat Lyall (five wins).
''I said to Brian [Cookson] a while ago this horse could be as good as Mum Beat Lyall. She'll probably go in the paddock now because she's got to strengthen up.''
Denton drove Och Aye The Noo for all but one of her first eight starts before deciding to give Matthew Williamson the drive two starts ago.
''The other week when she galloped, first she galloped for no reason and the second time was my fault. I thought `she's going pretty solid now - I better put someone who knows a bit about trotters on'.''
Williamson's father, Phil, was back in the winner's circle with Father Christmas in the feature trot, and may continue racing the 3yr-old through the winter after he picked up a penalty-free.
''I'm half tempted to keep going with him because every second one is [penalty] free and he might be good enough to win two more,'' Phil Williamson said.
''And it's winter time. It's cold and wet and [instead of] putting him in the paddock, possibly he might be better poking around the stables.''
Change Time, a half-sister to 2008 New Zealand Trotting Cup winner and emerging sire Changeover, added another line to her mother Chaangerr's pedigree page last night.
The 3yr-old daughter of Christian Cullen became the eighth race winner out of the Vance Hanover mare with a tough win over 2200m.
Dunedin owner Steve Thompson leased the filly out to the Spriggs Bar Burnside No 1 syndicate for her latest campaign after she went to the paddock in November to strengthen up.
''`Steve will get her back as a broodmare,'' trainer-driver Ken Barron said.
''She's 2yr-old placed and she's a race winner now, so she's going to be a good broodmare.''