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About as good as it gets.The DWYER family over the moon after DISCO LEMONADE (Graham Dwyer) took out the $25/50K claimer at Albion Park on Saturday.
Cindy snapped this classic of "HAPPY"...Harnesspix@aol.com or phone 3861 9019.
On a driven horse steering and brakes are combined.It's every driver's nightmare to have a bit break.BRAD CONNELLY and COUNTESS JILL had their horror story in Tuesday's TROT at Albion Park.
COUNTESS JILL has negotiated the first hurdle,BRAD CONNELLY has the job in front of him.Brake pedal is hard on the floor with no response.
The end of the road.Thankfully no significant injury to man or mare.Cindy's quick reflexes document triumph or tragedy.This sequence from Harnesspix@aol.com or phone 3861 9019.
LUKE McCARTHY sporting the "BIG GIG" colors.It's full steam ahead for KEV and KAYE's big charity weekend,just a couple of weeks away.Cindy's camera will be there....Harnesspix@aol.com or phone 3861 9019.
"Miss Inter-Dominion",Natalie Rasmussen shows that she drives the moderates just as well as champions.Here MIRAKULOS takes out a leg of the "B" class M.0. at headquarters last Saturday.
Cindy on the spot again....Harnesspix@aol.com or phone 3861 9019.
With level 5 water restrictions upon us,it's nice to see Albion Park responding to the situation.A nice by-product of this,is the reduced amount of track material we are taking home on our gigs and gear.the Trust is saving "surface" and we are saving water in the cleaning process at home.Cindy was on hand to document the better side of a necessary hardship....Harnesspix@aol.com or phone 3861 9019.
Race 3: Horse 1: KING GALVINATOR (John Cremin).
BEST OF BRITISH LUCK!!
Race 1: Horse 5: MARKSPLACE (Natalie Rasmussen).
Race 1: Horses: 4-3-2-5.
Race 2: Horses: 2-1-4-8.
Race 3: Horses: *1*-8-2-5.
Race 4: Horses: 1-10-3-2.
Race 5: Horses: 10-5-8-1.
Race 6: Horses: 8-9-6-3.
Race 7: Horses: 7-5-2-6.
Race 8: Horses: 3-5-7-8.
STAR BET...Race 3: Horse 1: KING GALVINATOR (John Cremin).
Race 1: Horses: 4-5-1-7.
Race 2: Horses: 4-7-5-10.
Race 3: Horses: 7-3-4-2.
Race 4: Horses: *5*-2-7-4.
Race 5: Horses: 2-8-11-9.
Race 6: Horses: 6-7-8-2.
Race 7: Horses: 3-7-10-12.
Race 8: Horses: 7-4-6-12.
Race 9: Horses: 6-1-5-4.
STAR BET...Race 4: Horse 5: BADLANDS CHIEF (Ahmed Taiba).
Race 1: Horses: 10-9-2-3.
Race 2: Horses: *10*-5-1-2.
Race 3: Horses: 11-10-5-6.
Race 4: Horses: 2-1-8-10.
Race 5: Horses: 9-6-1-4.
Race 6: Horses: 1-10-5-3.
Race 7: Horses: 8-3-7-1.
Race 8: Horses: 9-3-2-10.
Race 9: Horses: 8-7-11-1.
STAR BET...Race 2: Horse 10: GLASSCUTTERS ATOM (Joshua Willick).
This is not the eye that stares down the opposition when the big money is on.
We have had the shot of three pacers in chorus line mode each frozen with nearside foreleg extended.Now Cindy moves to the other end of another trio,to capture the ultimate "tail" shot.Harnesspix@aol.com or phone 3861 9019.
Commencing April 1 no strands will be used in standing starts in South Australia.We should applaud this further effort on the part of the SA control body to improve the image of stand starts,and ensure their retention and perhaps their renaissance in the overall light harness scene.In my 45 years in this game,a few wonderful innovations have surfaced and have proven of great benefit.They include wheel discs (there are too many people about who do NOT remember the time when bolt cutters were essential equipment for the clerk of the course),hopple shorteners,spreaders (in their various forms) and,of course,the re-inforced safety helmet.
Other items,which received far greater fanfare upon their adoption,and which have proven to be of dubious value indeed,have been,the mobile barrier.This mechanical monster was hailed as the panacea for all of trottings ills.It might have served a useful purpose had the people who decided the fashion in which it was to be used had any earthly idea what it was good for.It has only three uses.Single class events,FFA's,and events for horses which have earned a reputation as hopeless at the stand.The latest attempt to justify the universal use of this starting method has been to computerise the score-up speed regime.The concept of interfacing 10 or a dozen hyped up race horses with a computer chip is bizarre enough, without the actual execution.
Secondly,we changed the name.TROTTING became HARNESS RACING.It was a lot of years ago,and administrators spoke the words "harness racing" as if they were referring to the"HOLY GRAIL".Sadly,the only people who heard the gospel were those who were pedalling it,and the participants,who were forced to listen to it.Thirdly,and perhaps most dangerous of all,was the privatisation of the TABS.No longer were our prime income sources under the fatherly umbrella of Government to whom we could turn in times of need.They now exist only to serve the share holders,while we are bound to long term contractual arrangements,which do not respond to natural disasters such as the current drought.
GOOD ON THE SOUTH AUSTRALIANS.THEY ARE DOING THEIR UTMOST TO PRESERVE THE ONLY PRACTICAL METHOD OF HANDICAPPING THE LIGHT HARNESS HORSE...STANDING STARTS..Denis.