Pangrazio family’s wishes come true with new stable star

Only three of those nine are racing. The other six are described by Neville as “a work in progress’’.

Add the seven minor placings and $73,630 in prizemoney and he is on the verge of bettering the 2017-18 season when he had nine winners (12 placings) and earned $74,970 in winnings.

The Rochester trainer, who has a share in all his horses with wife Louise, parents Michael and Faye, brother Adrian and his wife Bianca Pangrazio, and father-in-law Malcolm Shaw, has been reborn through the exploits of three-year-old filly Shesawish.

There is now a touch of sadness with every win as her part owner Pangrazio’s mother-in-law and trots stalwart Joan Shaw recently passed away suddenly.

Based at Stanhope, Malcolm, a former top trainer and driver who is battling bad health, is getting a big thrill out of watching the filly’s progress.

For Louise the past four months have been particularly challenging, dealing with the loss of her mother while keeping one eye focussed on the never-ending role that is the family’s Restdown Rd property

The Pangrazios have always been able to balance dual roles, extremely active in the breeding space, while continuing to rack up their own list of winners.

“We have always bred to sell, we generally keep the fillies and sell the colts,” Neville said.

In the last two weeks the family has watched proudly from afar as a colt they bred, Prince of Rock, won his last two starts and is on track for a $125,000 race.

Shesawish has delivered Pangrazio with some of the biggest wins of his career, including the Maryborough Trotters Oaks a fortnight ago, her fourth win from an eight-start career (which has also included two placings).

The filly has now won $57,390 in prizemoney, on the verge of passing stable veteran Cashflow Cassie’s $59,615 in purse total (from 68 starts).

Shesawish won the $50,000 Home Grown Classic for three-year-old fillies in March, as a $1.70 favourite, pocketing $25,000 in prizemoney for the Melton feature race win.

That win ended a three-win run for a two-week period which signalled Pangrazio’s return to form, his last win having been on December 22 last year prior to the trifecta of victories.

Shesawish was also runner-up in the $75,000 New South Wales Trotters Oaks, beaten as an $8 chance by only a metre by red hot favourite Rockinwithattitude.

Another of the Pangrazio comparative stable veterans, Willdomxav, is already in Shesawish’s rear-vision mirror with $48,820 in winnings from 60 starts.

Willdomxav is a six-year-old gelding who has had seven career wins and Cashflow Cassie is a five-year-old mare with six wins and 20 placings from 68 starts.

All three have greeted the judge first in the last two months, Willdomxav on June 21 at Echuca, then Shesawish and Cashflow Cassie within three days of one another at Maryborough and Swan Hill.

Shesawish was a $1.65 favourite for the Maryborough event and saluted by more than three metres with top reinsman Nathan Jack in the sulky.

The talented daughter of Wishing Stone outclassed her rivals with a sizzling 1.58.1 mile rate over the short course 1720m trip after making an early surge to the front-running role from a wide front-row draw.

It was a district quinella in the $50,000 Home Grown Classic at Melton, where the Mark Lee-trained and Stacey Towers-driven filly Focus was runner-up to Shesawish.

The Rochester family only has three horses racing at the moment, but has a proud history in the sport.

“Moonshine Linda was our best two-year-old... and went all the way to open class. She won $237,000,” Neville said.

The list of winners dates back to the time of Sheffield Thor, who raced for Neville’s father in the late 1970s.

“She was trained by Graeme Lang and had third placings in the Victoria and Winfield cups,” he said.

Michael and Faye Pangrazio, along with Neville’s uncle and aunty, Dennis and Cheryl (passed), set an early tone in the sport.

And while Michael had his training licence, it was never the focus of his operation.

“They got me into it, I grew up with horses.

Bianca and Adrian Pangrazio have followed in the family footsteps, and when Neville married into another harness racing family, Louise’s parents Malcolm and Joan had an established stable, it was a match made in heaven.

Shesawish however has given the Shaw family something they never had, a winning two-year-old trotter.

The Pangrazios are expecting their current run of success to continue as Moonshine Linda and current star Cashflow Cassie are both expecting foals.

Seven-year-old Moonshine Linda is in foal to Tactical Landing, a stallion who has a $17,000 service fee.

Moonshine Linda won a Group One race and Neville expects the foal to attract plenty of attention when it arrives.

“If it is a filly we will keep it, but if it is a colt it will be worth too much for us not to sell him,” he said.

A Pangrazio colt, Broke as Usual, was sold as a yearling to harness racing royalty, the Gath family, and has won $440,000.

“I followed him like my own child,” Neville said

There are three distinct breeding partnerships within the Pangrazio and Shaw families; Neville and father Michael are breeding partners, Neville and brother Adrian work together and then there is the father and daughter team of Mal Shaw and Louise, who will have the progeny of current star Shesawish.

Shesawish will race next in a Shepparton fillies race worth $12,000, but her focus is on three races worth between $70,000-$100,000 in September, October and November.

“She will race, all going well, in the Victoria Oaks, Vicbred and Breeders Crown,” Louise said.

Shesawish has had Shepparton-based professional reinsman Nathan Jack in the sulky for most of her success, sharing the role with Anthony Butt.

“Nathan is my number one man and I am about number five,” Neville said, explaining he is a last resort to drive the filly.

Neville and Louise live on the adjoining property to Pangrazio senior and are sharing the journey with Shesawish.

And while race-night is important to the family, there is always one eye on the paddock and the breeding program.

Cashflow Cassie’s foal, which is being carried by a surrogate mare, is due in September and will create just as much attention as the race wins.

“We will have two foals by then. Shesawish’s half brother and sister will also be born around the same time,” Neville said.

There is another generation involved in running the family farm, although the youngest of the Pangrazios’ three children, five-year-old Molly, is really the only one showing any interest in the family business.

“Corey is nearly 13 and Harrison is 11 next month. They are not horse fans, they are more interested in what they can buy with the winnings.

“When Shesawish had a recent win they were quick to ask whether the prizemoney was enough to buy a motorbike,” Neville said.

The family’s long history with breeding is also echoed by the continued presence of Michael and Faye Pangrazio’s 20-year-old stallion Tennotrump.

For now, however, it is all about the girls and the stable star that the Pangrazios are pinning their hopes on later this year to take them into the spotlight, Shesawish.