Suvaljko’s proud Dad moment

REACHING a personal milestone was not the highlight of Shannon Suvaljko time at Northam last night.

Heading to the meeting with 1497 wins, Suvaljko registered a treble to take his tally to a noteworthy 1500.

Opening the card with a victory behind Spock The Spaceman, Suvaljko then scored with Writing On Thewall and Princess Major.

“Getting 1500 wins is a nice milestone,” Suvaljko said. “I don’t keep tally of my wins, so I didn’t know I was close until I read it last week.

“Bringing it up with a treble was a good way to go about it.”

As good as his moment in the spotlight was, it paled compared to the joy Suvaljko experienced by watching his daughter, Emily, complete her maiden trip to the winners’ circle.

Having her second drive, Emily, 17, caused a minor upset with Undercover Art, which accounted for Win And Grin and Taharas Desire in 2:00.3 over 2190 metres.

“Emily getting her first winner was definitely the highlight,” Suvaljko said. “Sitting back and watching the race unfold and her excitement coming back to scale was unbelievable.

“It was only her second drive, so she’s pretty excited. She wants to give it her best shot at making a career in harness, but she knows how difficult it is.

“She’ll finish Year 12 this year and see how she goes in harness.”