Characters of Harold Park race nights

Who are some of the characters that would be at all the meetings ? do you remember a few that stick in your mind .

Fred with his calling of the races with hands over ears.

Herby Pitman it was worth giving him a dollar to get him away from you.

Mark a bloke who everyone on course knew had backed a loser with him screaming out curses at anyone from God to the driver/trainer and their families. a complete lunatic on course amazingly a gentleman off course.

The Botany frog (ed) a real knockabout bloke from the games who always had a sad story.

Alibi Tony always paid but only after he gave you an alibi why he couldnt until NEXT week:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by ringman

Who are some of the characters that would be at all the meetings ? do you remember a few that stick in your mind .

Fred with his calling of the races with hands over ears.

Herby Pitman it was worth giving him a dollar to get him away from you.

Mark a bloke who everyone on course knew had backed a loser with him screaming out curses at anyone from God to the driver/trainer and their families. a complete lunatic on course amazingly a gentleman off course.

The Botany frog (ed) a real knockabout bloke from the games who always had a sad story.

Alibi Tony always paid but only after he gave you an alibi why he couldnt until NEXT week:D

What about " St George" Dave McNulty I was walking out of HP with him one night after he had done his arse he threw his binoculars 100mtrs in the air and screamed you'll never see me on a racecourse for the rest of my life. Guess who was the first person I bumped into at Rosehill next day , with patched up binoculars and a pocket full of money.
Poor bugger won $750,000 in lotto about 4yrs ago and 6 mths later some arsehole who was trying to get his hands on some of the dosh stabs him to death in a pizza joint in King st Newtown.

The late Greg Campbell, a lifelong mate of my father's, used to be there nearly every Friday night and would take the superfecta religiously...only to come up with 1-2-3-4-6-5 or 2-1-3-4-5-6 or whatever. He would hold a post mortem on the race, duly curse his luck and shake his head and then loudly vow to all who'd listen that he'd never again to make such a bet, only to front up the following week & do it again. It was in fact pretty rare that he missed a meeting.
A fair few years ago now Greg took ill but would still get out there to HP to take the super as often as he felt up to it. He also gathered up the strength to go across to WA with his wife, my Dad & Mum & another mate of his, Tony Hilton, and Tony's heavily supported horse, Jofess, duly landed the WA ID but that's another story. Anyway, as some good fortune would have it, we were all there at HP with Greg the night the Ducks decided to line up in a row and he landed the prize, 1-2-3-4-5-6. It paid pretty well too & he was the happiest man on this Earth for a piece. Not long afterwards he passed but that night was a reckoning. I even remember exactly where we were standing.

Just a bit off-topic , over Christmas I had the great pleasure of watching the brilliant 3½ hour documentary "Ribbon of Light" about 100 years of history at Harold Park.

Thoroughly recommend it. Brings back memories of so many great horses who many might have forgotten about including James Scott who I idolised as a very young kid. Still remember the night vividly that I was lift up to pat him on the nose after a big win at HP.

Can show you the spot in the paddock where he was born if you like .

Great to hear from you Greg. I knew that the Hando family bred James Scott and that you posted in the forums , but did not want to embarrass myself in case you were from a different "Hando" family.

Your family can be pleased to know that this "slightly" aging lifelong harness racing fan first became hooked on the sport as a very small kid by the deeds of James Scott at HP. I will always have a soft spot for him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg Hando

Can show you the spot in the paddock where he was born if you like .

greg you have any old photos ?

I heard around the traps that Greg has a few where he's reclining on a Banana Lounge with a Singapore Sling in his hand and wearing nothing but a strategically placed Fig Leaf !!!! He stole the idea from Brian Hancock.
Do yourself a favour. It's not worth the risk. Don't ask for old photos from Greg. You'll burn out your eyeballs with a soldering iron. :rolleyes:

Btw, Special Albert just saluted at Newcastle. Traces back to Dayetta. Hando breed since 1955, prior to that, the great one himself, Edgar Tatlow.

No old photo's of him around at home now that i know of. There used to be but after Grandma died 4 Arnott's biscuit tin's of old horse photo's disappeared on the day off her funeral and i know their were some of him in them with Freddy Henderson driving him in a heavy sulky with Ted Wright. I know he was a bastard of a horse to gait up all he wanted to do was trot for the first 6 month's and was sold by mistake at Old Grandad's (Bill ) dispersal sale after he died.Charlie ( My Grandad ) was in charge of the sale and was yapping to someone and when asked if the horse was on the market he looked at his sale book and said yes only to find out next lot that he had it on the wrong page ha ha very costly mistake as it turned out. When Mr Grant ( Jim ) i think it was found out he told Grandad to take the horse and don't worry about the sale but Grandad refused as he had said the horse was sold (in our family if you give your word that's sacred )and that was how he came to leave our posession .Harold Park had a nice photo of him in full flight with Mr Hall (PJ )driving him at HP hanging up somewhere before it closed and would love to get a copy if they still have it .

Dayetta and Outraid both being by Outbreak were bought sight unseen from Mr Tatlow after Eric wrote him a letter asking if he could buy 2 mare's (Mr Tatlow to choose suitable one's ) to use as his own foundation mare's and sent them up on the train neither were broken in just bred from.Don't know how many winner's stem from Dayetta but the family always throw's up a good horse and the fillies generally breed on where as Outraid's family didn't throw much perhaps the best was Knighthood.All in all they were good buying .