Louth Park trainer Melanie Elder was celebrating a special double on a successful night for her family at Newcastle Paceway.
Elder had wins with Ashark and his little brother Love Lou on Friday night. Both were bred by the Elders from mare Pagan Love.
"I've had one double before but I feel this one was extra special because we own them and bred them both," Elder said.
Her brother, Brad, drove Ashark to victory as part of a treble on the night. He also took Big Skewy to a Hawkesbury to Hunter heat win and Im Boo to victory in the last, both for his dad, Darren.
Ashark came three wide with a sustained sprint to win a blanket finish by a half-neck in the fast-class event.
"He surprised us, he was still there at the end and it was one of his best runs in a while," Melanie said.
"Brad was really happy with him, he said he was strong right to the line.
"I wasn't that confident about taking him to Menangle without that extra run under his belt, but I think off that run, he's probably ready to head back down there."
Love Lou, with Joe Taaffe driving, overhauled Zen Master to break through in the two-year-old race at his second start. He will head to Breeders Challenge heats at Newcastle on Friday week.
"I really like him and I was pretty confident," Elder said.
"It was good to get a win. His trials were good but he was in front for the majority of them, so it was good to see him from that other angle, when he headed that other horse, to keep going."
