YES, she’s the grandchild of renowned horseman Kevin Pascoe, and the daughter of respected South Australian harness racing couple Scott and Mandy Pascoe.
But talented concession driver Sam Pascoe is rapidly becoming the lead name in the family.
Pascoe’s 2021 has been littered with noteworthy achievements: Eight straight winners in the sulky behind experienced pacer Van Mara.
A key player in a run of 15 straight wins by women drivers in SA Harness Racing in July.
Her first race-to-race double, her first treble, and now 100 career wins.
By Monday’s meeting at Globe Derby Park, she is hoping for two more victories to complete 50 for the calendar year.
“It’s been the best season I could ask for really,” she said.
“I haven’t been driving for that long, and when I started I was Scott and Mandy’s daughter.
“So I’m excited to already establish myself so quickly.
“But I wouldn’t be where I am without them and even now I ring dad to talk about what he thinks about races.
“There’s no way I’d even be driving if it wasn’t for my family, so I hope to keep the tradition going.”
Pascoe has invested her entire life into horses, from helping her parents, to study in animal medicine, to competitions in western pleasure, a form of equestrian where riders demonstrate control of their horses to manoeuvre with a relaxed gait.
“It’s so important to have a good connection with the horses you’re driving,” she said. “You need to be really in tune with animals to get the best out of them.”
Like any woman in SA harness racing, she has special admiration for Danielle Hill, who has arguably been the sport’s dominant driver in SA for the last decade.
But Pascoe’s appreciation for Hill isn’t based on her number of wins, it’s her resilience.
Hill is still at the pinnacle of the trots in spite of a shocking run with injury, most notably a crash in 2010, where she suffered a broken jaw, cheek bone and nose, plus a sunken eye socket and the loss of sight in one eye. She also missed a large chunk of 2019 with a broken leg.
“She’s been through so much and she keeps coming back,” Pascoe said.
“You can tell that she loves it and she’s very brave, so I have a lot of respect for her.”
