Big fields, big crowds and hot competition have been the story of the Victorian picnic season so far, and Healesville maintained the momentum under sunny skies last Saturday.
The six races drew 48 starters, yielding six winning trainers and six winning jockeys.
The evenness of competition is reflected in the jockeys’ premiership, which in recent seasons has been a two-horse race between Courtney Pace and Reece Goodwin.
Apprentice Shaun Cooper (10 winners) is the early leader on the 2018/19 table from Dani Walker (8), with Pace (7) third. Goodwin is tied for fourth on three winners, but from only seven rides. His strike rate of 43 per cent is the best of any rider.
Goodwin had three rides at Healesville and saved the best for last, producing an absolute peach on Freedoms ($2) to send favourite backers home happy.
Not only did Goodwin have Freedoms well positioned in the run, but when Subiaso ($6.50) was set alight from the rear at the 600m, taking two or three rivals with him, the temptation would have been for Goodwin to join the action. 
Holding his position stalking the leaders, Goodwin came off Subiaso’s back as they turned for home, and on fresher legs Freedoms was able to finish all over the top of his rivals to score a tidy win. 
Having his first run at the picnics, the six-year-old by Not a Single Doubt was a $300,000 purchase at the Inglis Easter yearling sale in 2014 and had his first eight runs for Mick Price before joining the Seymour stable of Goodwin’s father, Barry. 
Freedoms is the older full brother of the ill-fated boom colt Doubt I’m Dreaming, and I suspect we’ll be seeing him again in this column before the season is through. 
Bettina breaks through
The win of Freedoms gave father-son combinations the bookends at Healesville, as (trainer) Alan and (jockey) Maxwell Keenen had combined to take out the first, the 1000-metre maiden plate, with the consistent Reward for Effort mare Bettina ($4EF). 
The mare had kicked off her summer campaign at the same track on November 3, running second. 
Two subsequent placings meant she went into Saturday with three placings from three tries this season, and under a nice ride from Keenan junior she was able to break her duck at start number 10. 
Bettina held out another family combination in Debbie and Rebecca Waymouth, with their five-year-old mare Southern Silver ($8) charging home into second place and only just missing out. 
Southern Silver did begin awkwardly and settled many lengths off the leaders. She should be shaking her maiden tag soon. 
Rocket shocks punters 
Dani Walker extended her recent run of success when she partnered the Michael Quadara-trained outsider Rocket Strike ($19) in the second on the card, the Barker’s Fresh Produce Trophy (1) over 1200 metres. 
Walker balanced up Rocket Strike in the second half of the field, but the pair appeared to be in a bit of trouble approaching the corner. 
When a gap presented at the furlong, Rocket Strike picked up the bit again and charged through, going on to record a solid win. 
This was only Rocket Strike’s third run for the stable, and his first at the picnics after 13 starts at the professionals for one minor placing. 
The Seymour-based Quadara now has three winners from his past nine runners, after a run of outs that dated back to August 2014. 
Zai flies 
After placings in the first two races on the card, reigning premier Courtney Pace registered her first win of the day in the third race, the Westrock Gift Trophy (3) over 1200 metres on the Paul Boag-trained mare Zai Bu Zai ($4.60). 
After a close second at Balnarring seven days prior, Pace had Zai Bu Zai travelling well in second, many lengths off runaway leader Moss and Me. 
Having carted the bulk of the field up to the leader nearing the turn, Zai Bu Zai kicked away at the 200m and held out the fast-finishing mare Rosover ($3.10). Rosover stepped away slowly and settled well back, denying her a third straight picnic win. 
Claim counts
Apprentice Shaun Cooper’s two-kilo claim came in handy on consistent gelding King Mapoora ($5.50), the seven-year-old racing clear for a dominant win in the Bread & Butta Catering Open Trophy (1200m). 
The decision to use a claimer on King Mapoora was a winning move for Pakenham trainer Ron Stephens, following the narrowest of defeats at Balnarring seven days prior carrying five kilos more than the winner. 
That winner — Robin the Rich — had to contend with a 5.5kg weight swing in favour of King Mapoora at Healesville and it proved a bridge too far, with Robin the Rich leading and weakening late to run fourth. 
For the black book, veteran mare Merry Magic ($3) and Toby Lake had little luck as they ran on into third after being blocked for clear running before the home turn. 
Clem clicks 
Claiming apprentice Maddison Morris scored her second win in a row on the Cindy Alderson-trained Cape Cross mare My Clementina ($3) in the penultimate race on the card, The Aldig Basements Trophy (1). 
Winless after 10 starts at the professionals, the mare went to Woolamai in late November and scored an easy win over subsequent picnic winner Drexler. 
Up rom 1508m to 1650m on Saturday, Morris had My Clementina travelling very easily outside the leader, Breakneck Bandit — travelling so well in fact that Morris let the mare slide past the leader under double wraps before the corner and the duo went on for a pretty easy win in the end.