Cameron Hart reached a personal milestone at Tabcorp Park Menangle on Saturday evening when Italian import Gandhi Mail carried him to his 1600th Australian driving victory in the Livamol Trotters Mobile.
The four-year-old gelding, bred in Italy and trained by Anton Golino at his Menangle base, scored in 1:53.50 for the metric mile (approximately 1'10"5 per kilometre), holding off Cormoran Strike NZ and Speedy Lover in the placings. The race carried a purse of AUD $20,400.
Gandhi Mail, by the Italian sire Nad, was recording the ninth win of his career from 25 starts, maintaining a 32 per cent strike rate that marks him as one of the more consistent trotters in New South Wales. Born in Italy in 2022, he was brought to Australia by connections who identified him as a suitable type for the large Menangle circuit, and has adapted well to Australian racing conditions.
Hart, who registered his first official race drive at Albury, has been accumulating wins at a remarkable rate and now sits among the most prolific drivers in Australian harness racing history. His partnership with the Golino stable has been particularly productive, and the 1600-win landmark arrived courtesy of a horse who has become a reliable performer in Sydney's trotting features.
Cormoran Strike NZ, who has been in consistent form this campaign, filled the runner-up spot once again. The New Zealand-bred trotter has been knocking on the door of a metropolitan success and ran another honest race in defeat. Speedy Lover finished third.
Gandhi Mail's name also features in the latest Inter Dominion rankings, where he sits 33rd in the provisional standings. With the Inter Dominion carnival on the horizon, the victory serves as a timely reminder of the Italian's capabilities, though connections will be aware that stiffer challenges lie ahead at championship level.
For Golino, who has built a reputation for sourcing European-bred trotting talent and placing them effectively in Australian racing, Gandhi Mail represents another successful import. The stable's eye for European pedigrees that translate to success on Australian tracks has been a hallmark of the operation, and this latest win adds to that growing portfolio.
The result also highlights the growing influence of European bloodlines in Australian trotting. With Italian and French-bred horses increasingly making their mark on the sport in New South Wales and Victoria, the pipeline of talent from Europe to Australia continues to strengthen. Gandhi Mail, with his Italian pedigree and Group-level potential, is a useful flagbearer for that trend.
Hart's 1600th win, achieved at a track where he has been the dominant force for several seasons, was met with warm appreciation from the Menangle crowd. The driver has long been the benchmark at the Sydney metropolitan circuit, and reaching four figures in Australian wins alone underlines his extraordinary consistency.
