Austrotforum

"TROT TACTICS"..11/07/2009..

This week,we look at two people who played different roles at Rocklea.One is still there every Saturday.Jack Waltisbuhl is no longer active as a trainer,due to breathing problems which see him tethered to an oxygen cylinder.But,if you can't train you can still own,and Jack was on hand to see his colors of blue with red sleeves carried to victory by the Ted Rolfe trained Bull Tossa.Lola Weidemann,who has travelled many miles round the tight 577 metre circuit had the drive.Jack will be there on the last day,to see it all end.He was high profile all his training and driving career,but never too proud to race at the Rock.

From its opening in the 50's to the mid 80's Rocklea was a successful club with perhaps the best Committee in Queensland.They were certainly visible on Raceday, mingling with the crowd all afternoon,making all welcome.In 1985,the South Australian veteran,John Houlson,started as Chief Executive.Houlson wasted no time in demonstrating his skills in organising,promotion and finding sponsors.I believe he may have been the first man in Queensland to sell signage on the white fence surrounding the track.In a matter of months,he had sponsors for every meeting,and a look at the annual report for 1990/91 showed that basic prizemoney was $2,200 per race.In the months when no feature race was programmed,the Rocklea Bonanza was run for $7,000.Feature races ranged from $3,750 through $40,000 for the Speed King Treasure Chest Final, with a mammoth $150,000 for the flagship event,The Rocklea Pot Of Gold Series ($50,000 Final).Life is a funny thing.Rocklea is going because it can't make money.John Houlson was removed because he made all other Clubs look very ordinary indeed. ..Denis..

Posted by dlsmith at 03:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TROT TACTICS"..04/07/2009..

Any regular patron of Rocklea Trots in the last decade will have fond memories of Minden based Tim Gillespie out in front with a stocky pacer called Freckles.A son of Fake Left and Cindy Bye Bye,the chestnut was indeed an iron horse.Facing the starter a massive 223 times,he was in Victory Lane on 65 occasions,with a further 62 placings.Even with wins as far afield as Harold Park,it was at the Rock where Freckles reigned supreme.A win and a nose second in two Pot Of Gold Finals,a track record mile rate of 2-2.14 sitting outside prolific winner,Myrtleford Beau,and a mile against the clock in 2-00.1 were high points.His first success was in a 2yo handicap at the 577 metre circuit in February 1998 and his career ended there on September 2nd 2006.Fittingly,Freckles went out a winner at his final appearance.

Tim Gillespie maintained that the horse owed much of his success to the Rocklea style of racing."He was made there." he said.Freckles raced in an era when Rocklea was already in decline.Had he gone round in the golden age of John Houlson,he would have doubled his respectable earnings of $140,000.The Gillepies love their little champ.His paddock's outside the kitchen door and he's as fat as mud with a home for life.

Any form of horse racing has its sad side,none sadder than the death of moderate performer,Vitesse Operative,who suffered a massive haemorrhage in running at Redcliffe on Wednesday night.Horses can't talk,they can't tell you that it is more painful than usual lately when you ask for that last ounce of speed.Just spare a thought for a horse,who,when asked,gave more than he had to give,and paid a terrible price...Denis..

Posted by dlsmith at 04:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nicola Carkeet.

Posted by dlsmith at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)