Will Rixon and Max Delight will venture north for the Inter Dominion series in Queensland. Photo by Club Menangle
Sydney reinsman Will Rixon will head to Queensland this weekend to fulfil a highlight of his successful career, that being to partner million-dollar earner Max Delight in the upcoming Inter Dominion series which kicks off on Saturday night with the first round of qualifying heats.
Since taking out his harness racing license in 2016, Rixon has driven almost 800 winners and has been the regular driver aboard the nine-year-old since January, winning on the gelding first-up.
Max Delight’s trainer David Aiken has been impressed with the 24-year-old’s efforts in the gig, his biggest assignment to date being in the Miracle Mile in March when he ran a creditable fifth.
“I am pumped to be heading to Queensland to partner Max in the Inter Dominion,” said Rixon.
“He has become a special horse to me, affording me opportunities to compete in the feature races, hopefully we can knock one of them off in the not-too-distant future.
“I cannot thank 'Aikie' and owner Michael Maxfield enough for trusting me to drive their horse week in and week out, he has been such a consistent performer right throughout his career.
“It is a real testament to David on how well he has prepared the horse throughout his preparations.”
Rixon is firmly entrenched amongst New South Wales’ leading echelon of drivers and has been riding the crest of a wave over the past few seasons.
He currently sits in third on the state’s Drivers Premiership, having driven 90 winners and is on target to better his best score of 175 winners, last season.
And he is certainly giving it a red-hot crack, getting to as many tracks as possible, regularly travelling to the bush to take drives at Bathurst on a Wednesday night or Wagga on a Friday afternoon.
Rixon is heading to Bathurst on Wednesday night where he has six drives on an eight-race program.
His cousin Mitch Turnbull is providing him with five of those drives, the combination’s best winning chance appearing likely in the two-year-old event with the filly Vinnysgal.
Owned by Eugowra’s Col and Ben Greenhalgh and their mate Michael Walker, Vinnysgal has showed promise in her two race starts to date, finishing third on both occasions.
Despite drawing a little wide in gate six in an evenly graded field of juveniles, Vinnysgal would only need to bring her best form to figure in the finish.