It’s always a bit “extra special” to get a winner at your home track and Tom Pay is hopeful he’ll get to enjoy the feeling on Sunday at Dubbo Paceway.
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The 19-year-old, now based at Bathurst, returns to Dubbo this weekend and has five drives at the eight-race meeting.
“It’s always good to come back to the home track and the family is always there to watch you race,” the up-and-coming reinsman said.
“It’s always a bit extra special if you get a winner there too.”
Pay is fresh from taking part in this years Harness Racing NSW Rising Stars series, where he contested a number of heats across the state with other aspiring, teenage drivers.
It concluded with a race at Menangle while there was also a stack of off-track activities.
“I loved it,” Pay said.
“There was a great bunch of kids and we did some fun activities. We did the bridge climb in Sydney and that was very good and got a bit of go-karting as well.
“Opportunities like that don’t come up to often so if you get the chance to take part and learn a bit you take it.”
Pay hopes to have a winning weekend before he even arrives at Dubbo as he has three drives at Young on Saturday night.
The focus then turns to his home track and one of his drives there will be for his uncle, Brett.
That will be Remember Kaiser in the afternoon’s final event, the Ray Tobin Signs Pace (1720m).
“He’s come back (from a spell) alright and he hasn’t had a start for three or four weeks but he’s been going well,” Pay said of the gelding.
“It’s a pretty even race but he’s got a good draw and hopefully he can run a good race.”
Brett Pay has two starters in the event, the other being Sunscreen, and he gave his nephew the pick of the pair.
The fact Remember Kaiser has gate four while Sunscreen is out in gate nine was what led the young driver to choose the former.
Pay will also drive Snoop Stride, Allover Magic, Monyintintin and Abercrombine Tab on Sunday.
Racing starts at 12.41pm on Sunday.