Austrotforum

"TROT TACTICS"..31/12/2011..

Well it's here at last.2011 is fast drawing to a close and all those who are keen enough,young enough or mad enough will raise a glass at midnight to send the old year packing and welcome in the new.It has been a mixed twelve months for Queensland owners and trainers,with some camps rocketing forward and the majority of others unable to produce the necessary firepower and being reduced to eating the paint off the walls.The gold-plated McCarthy operation diversified to Menangle with Luke at the head of the Sydney stable and proceeded to dominate in a fashion perhaps even more awesome than the last decade in Brisbane.John McCarthy,meanwhile,became the roving ambassador,popping up with Washakie and others here there and everywhere,usually in the winners circle.

Grant Dixon,for many years,right at the top of the tree in Brisbane driving premierships,was crowned King of "team Dixon",taking over the training of Bill's huge team at Tambourine.The mighty Blacks A Fake went into retirement,and,as yet,this writer is the only person to suggest that the "Black Superman" deserves a statue in a prominent position.The roundabout at Boonah strikes me as an ideal site.The gelding has only been among the missing for a few months and people seem to have forgotten that he is still the richest pacer of all time."Blackie" has great potential as a promoter of harness both as a monument or special guest at Albion Park feature nights.

Clive Palmer,owner of the mighty Cold Mountain Stud enterprise,succumbed to the lure of NSW money and has sent his Lowood trainer,Murray Sullivan, to Menangle with a team of pacers which have performed well. Palmer also had a large consignment of juveniles in the recent "ready to run" sale on the 1400 metre circuit.Rumour has it that the mining magnate is giving serious consideration to establishing a permanent base there.

I've said it before and,will no doubt say it many times again,if you want to do well in light harness,set up in or near Glamorganvale.Last night local trainers and drivers Geoff and Trent Dawson,and Bill Crosby and Gary Whitaker took Artzone and Final Champion respectively to Newcastle to contest heats of the Inter-City Pace.Formerly known as The Maitland Inter-City Pace,the feature in its early years was Australia's richest country race.Similar to Victoria's Hunter Cup,the Inter-City went through a slump and a once great race was destined to become irrelevent.It seems that,like the Hunter Cup,the Inter-City is headed back up the ladder of prestige..Someone obviously believed in it.

The other Glamorganvale hit last week was Saturday night at Albion Park when Narissa McMullen had Christmas a couple of hours early,driving her first city winner,Bye Bye Oscar,for,you guessed it, for Wanora based Ron Sallis..It was a bit of a family affair with father John mcMullen,brother Pete and Pete's best friend Chantal Turpin filling out the first four placings.Does it get any better..I don't think so..

Resultsville..Gold Coast 23/12..nil...Albion Park 24/12..Mighty Memories (Pete for John McMullen)..Longwoods (Natasha Day for Mark Ress)..Bye Bye Oscar (Narissa McMullen for Ron Sallis)...Redcliffe 24/12..Dream Of Tricks (Ricky Gordon)...Albion Park 27/12..Lila Von Beltz (Darrel Graham)..Overcam (Gary Whitaker for Bill Crosby)..Walton Van (Glenn Dawson for Gavin Crone)..Montana Pablo (Darrel Graham)...Redcliffe 28/12..Black Cruiser (Narissa McMullen for Ron Sallis)...Gold Coast 29/12..Megajon (Mathew Neilson for Denis Smith)...