What got you hooked??

[Danno]

with all the negative stuff thats doing the rounds I thought I might try somthing to bring out some positive stuff.... so what got you hooked??

this is my story,



A short trottin’ story


I come from a family of horse people, one of my earliest memories was of me trying to convince my Dad we should have a horse in the backyard, just like Pop. Dad said “mate we just don’t have the room here” my response “ we could just get a little one, maybe a foal! “ Too young to realize, my mum and Dad got married very early in life, mum was looking after us 4 kids, dad a fireman on a regular, but limited income and another large mouth to feed was out of the question.
I was entranced by horses from my earliest memories, I don’t why, I just was.
A few years later, when I was about eleven ( many years to me, at the time) dad had made several promotions in the fire brigade and an opportunity had come to learn the ropes of the trotting game from a fellow fireman, Ron Connell.
I was in there straight away! Mucking out boxes, putting on boots, hosing down and cooling off, all the things the adults really didn’t want to do, mate I loved it!
Dad was doing his ticket ( driver’s permit) with a big skinny chestnut mare Ron had, called “Gay Marie” , a well bred NZ mare, who apparently had become disenchanted with the racing side of things. Gay Marie actually left a couple of handy progeny later in life despite her disaffection with racing, although she had apparently won a race before Dad got her.
Anyway Dad completes his trial drives and we take her to Cessnock trots for her first start for us ( notice how I say US! I was well and truly part of the team at this stage! ) It’s Dads first drive in a race and old Gay Marie doesn’t surprise anyone, she runs fair dinkum a hundred yards last. Didn’t try a yard! But that was pretty much what we expected by that stage.
Gay Marie becomes the first horse we sack! I really don’t remember how I felt about that at the time.
Anyhow* very shortly later Dad has leased a late 3YO gelding from “Spotlight Watson” of Kurri Kurri who had a bowed tendon, but had shown some promise. His racing name was “Charmed Gift” and for us he was well named!
Charmed Gift, a 1967 foal by Attacks Gift from “Charmhaven”, a mare that Rugby League legend John Sattler, drove his first couple of winners on. Not a well known fact.
“ Spot” as well called him, ( an undying habit in our family is to name a horse after the person you got it off) was one lovely horse, a beautiful nature, a tryer that wasn’t blessed with enormous ability but had a go every time he went around.
A couple of trials and many gear and shoeing adjustments later and Spot was ready for his first lifetime start, September 1970,at Newcastle, over 10 furlongs and 28 yards.
Horse and driver both went super leading throughout in the mud to win by a nose!
Spot was no star but his finest moment was about 18 months later, he’d won another race by then and was a 2.26 class horse (C2 on today’s terms), any way Dad decides he’s going to have a trip away with the horse, try some “big tracks” like Penrith and Canberra, because he reckons Spot feels like he’s not happy on the tight turns of Maitland and Newcastle ( both 550 metre and 600 metre tracks in those days.)
We get to Penrith for the Thursday night meeting, Spot’s a 100/1 in against horses like Hal Peterson ( K.Newman) and Royal Calypso ( P.Hall)… in a bloody ‘26 front at Penrith!!!
Dads mate Roger says to dad “we’ve got no hope here mate save our dough for Canberra ,what do you reckon?” Dad says nah I reckon I’ll something on him tonight, just in CASE!
Spot jumps out, sits behind the leader Hal Petersen, Dad and horse go for a run that’s not there at the 600m, get legs taken, all over.
We ( Dad, Roger and I, (who was wagging school for a few days) camped at Penrith in the stables that night before heading to Canberra the next day.
We get to Canberra and old spot is absolutely out of his skin! I had never seen him so “bull at a gate” He’d changed a bit from my old casual mate to being fair dinkum on his toes!!
I was a bit worried about Spot, and had a “heart to heart” conversation with him in the stable before we geared him up “ mate if you don’t do the job today it may be all over, Dad and Roger have backed you off the map”
Spot is in a standing start (only form of start in those days unless you were in the miracle Mile, which obviously we weren’t) over 12 furlongs or three laps of the half mile circuit.
Starter lets the tapes fly and Spot does something he had never done before and never did again in his entire life, he gallops hopelessly at the start !, got left at least 100 yards. I was gutted! All this way for a knock down and now this!
Now Spot was the sort of horse that would jump in the first two or three and finish in the first two or three, giving the leaders a big start was something he had never done and, in our minds was something he was incapable of overcoming.
I was standing at the entrance to the track, which was situated at the bottom of the home straight, in other words we were looking up the horses backsides as they went down the home straight. As the horses went up the back straight the first time around, Spot had finally got back in his gear but was a bloody long way behind the last horse let alone the leaders. I couldn’t believe it! It was completely NOT SPOT.
As the race progressed Spot was gradually making ground on the field, I thought at one stage, gee me might actually beat one or two home, wouldn’t that be a run!
With a lap to go Spot had caught the field and dad was gaining cheap, gradual yards up the fence, and I thought “ great effort but it’s going to tell in the last 800m”
Up the back straight the last time spot and dad kept making ground along the inside and when they got to where we were standing at the bottom of the straight, Spot was in the thick of it, only about two lengths off the leader, I thought geez, what a run!
As the field ran down the straight, I couldn’t hear the call because everyone around me was cheering on their horse, but I could see dad shift Spot off the fence getting pretty close to the post…. Then I heard the announcer say “ photo finish resting between Susan Bonney and Charmed Gift”
I thought, you RIPPER he’s run second!!
Then the course announcer says “Charmed Gift the winner, by a half neck, trained and driven by B.E Gibson at Waratah in Newcastle and what a run! They don’t bring them all this way for nothing!!
I was hooked….., and have been ever since!

That’s my “hooked” story,

Dan.

[Starship Captain]

Good story Dan, mine is a little shorter.

Due to a family interested in horses of all different shapes and sizes:)

[Arnie]

Only part read your story, Dan but needed a hanky.

[Danno]

[
QUOTE=Arnie;14175]Only part read your story, Dan but needed a hanky.
[/QUOTE]
Sorry to hear about the hanky Arnie, it was meant to create a bit of chuckle.....I was also hoping it would prompt others to tell a light hearted story, so how about yours?

[aussiebreno]

Not a story to match the opening post.
Family involved on both sides and I got in really early - with my grandfather (aka Santa) a great man with his hands I didn't play with Tonka Trucks or Superman capes I played with a mini trotting track and the many mini horses I'd collected. Giving away my age here but my favourite 3 horses of the day Our Sir Vancelot, Tailamade Lombo and Christian Cullen had many great battles on that track!
Not only did I not need tonka trucks I also didn't need a bicycle. An uncle was/is involved in pedal cars and antique things and got me a little play horse and cart that you had to pedal to move - the white paint of the rump took a hammering and eventually was peeled right off due to my constant beatings; I'd have been suspended many times over under the new whip rules and I'm not sure what the neighbours would have thought of me as I celebrated like I'd won an Inter after each and every 'race'.
The moment when I became hooked though was probably my first trip to the Valley in the early to mid 2000s when my uncles horse ran a champion filly to a half length in a group 1. That's probably moreso where the memory kicks and I was old enough to distinctly remember events.

[Starship Captain]

Hi Aussiebreno, would be keen to see a picture of the peddle horse and cart, I will google it.
Their's a little kid here that would be stoked to get one, thanks for the Xmas help.

The cart's are fucking awesome, I want one for myself, search "peddle cart horse" in google images.

[Starship Captain]

123

A young Aussiebreno

[triplev123]

I can't ever recall a moment of being hooked as such. I just loved horses from a very early age, far back as I can remember. Started going to the races not long after I was able to walk and it never went away. Growing up my friends used to want pee-wee 50's and 125 motorbikes for presents & I always wanted my own horse. Even now I'd rather be around horses than most of the people that I know.

[Danno]

Hi Aussiebreno, would be keen to see a picture of the peddle horse and cart, I will google it.
Their's a little kid here that would be stoked to get one, thanks for the Xmas help.

The cart's are fucking awesome, I want one for myself, search "peddle cart horse" in google images.

http://www.hscart.com/Horse%20carts,Horse%20Carriages,Sulky%20carts,Hors e%20Cart%20Manufacturers,factories,suppliers.files/pedal%20sulky%20cart%20for%20adult.jpg (http://www.hscart.com/adult-pedal-sulky-cart.html)

Hey Jason, they make them for adults?? too!!

Reckon we should maybe get a few and put on our own meeting. There might be a couple of blokes desperate for a "drive" soon!

there'd have to be rules but, so the blokes I'm thinking of might not be all that keen after all!!!

Thanks for the tip about the carts, I have twin grandsons that will need these in a couple of years.

Cheers,


Dan

[Greg Hando]

My first memory of the trotting horse's is when i was 4 is sneaking up to the yard's and getting on an old stallion named Jocose, dipper of oat's beside the gate and your on. He was the first non pony i had ridden although only walking around his yard i was pretty damned proud i had done it by myself. I couldn't sit down for a day or two after Dad and Grandma had finished with me but it was worth it. I have never been hooked so to speak as i haven't known any different as the horse's have always been part of our live's and will continue until the day i die .

[nowuseeme]

lucky enough to have watched a horse by the name of mount eden watched all his races at gloucester park and richmond raceway he got me hook,line and sinker

[eliteblood]

Amazing - they make those carts in size VVV

[Messenger]

It would have been around 1970 as a teenager. Tagging along with my best mate's family on their regular Saturday night trips to The Showgrounds. I loved it all - the colour, the horses within reach, the gambling ...

I remember Don Dove's leaders like Amlin (Nilma spelt backwards? jogs the memory) but cannot remember the better one he had at the same time. Favourites like Murray Mac - tough enough to win from the death (a few years later freakishly got to know the owners as I became friends with their daughter at Teachers College). Another favourite was the tough old plodder Ercildale who could only win when the distance got out to at least 2800.

I was also known to tag along with the same family to the Easter Gift at Stawell - little wonder I married my best mate's sister about 10 years later (something my son ridicules me for - cheeky bugger)

I was a bad influence on mates at Teachers College (this was a couple of years later) Instead of going to college on Mondays, we would meet at the Lyndhurst pub then head off to the Vic country trots, pretty much wherever they were

[eliteblood]

I remember Don Dove's leaders like Amlin (Nilma spelt backwards? jogs the memory) but cannot remember the better one he had at the same time.

Probably Monara

[Messenger]

Probably Monara

Thanks Trev

[The Escape Club]

I used to spend just about all of my school holidays in Boort My uncle had his stables 2 or 3 doors down from the trotting track. A couple of doors down from his place on the other side of the street was Mr. Robb or Charlie Robertson. He had stables out the back and a huge Norfolk pine in his front yard, he trained and drove the very first Inter Dominion pacers favourite in 1936. I used to sit in the gig with them when they were going to the track to work or returning from the track.

As a kid on Saturday nights, if we weren't at the Melbourne Showgrounds watching then we were at home watching The Penthouse Club with Mary Hardy and Mike 'I tipped this' Williamson.

My brother still has the last ever Showgrounds program and the first Moonee Valley one.

[Richard prior]

Hey Dan, Is that a young Dean McDowell in that photo??? (lol)

[Danno]

Fancy this old thread getting dug up again!!http://www.harnessracingforum.com/images/icons/icon14.png good on you Rob, you must have a bit of time on your hands today :)

Rich,
Got that pic off the internet, not from hanging around stables!!;)

[The Escape Club]

Fancy this old thread getting dug up again!!http://www.harnessracingforum.com/images/icons/icon14.png good on you Rob, you must have a bit of time on your hands today :)

Rich,
Got that pic off the internet, not from hanging around stables!!;)

I work 8 days on and 6 days off and am on my second day off. Since I'm only new to the forums I've started at the end and am going through all the oldies.

I'm burning off some nervous energy waiting for my horses to run. One down and one to go. Fingers crossed for the second one.

[Richard prior]

Sorry Dan, Probably shouldn't have said that about Dean, Yours was certainly a great story. I remember my Grandmother taking us to a place called Alectown, not far from Parkes to one of our relatives place as a young fella, Horses running around everywhere, my younger sister was really in her element but not a lot has changed with me, I still have NFI when handling horses. Mount Eden was certainly the first horse who caught my attention and his exploits are still firmly implanted in my brain. A Few years later I used to sneak into the TAB in Liverpool in the days of the different coloured tickets and would spend my pocket money on the trots. I got away with it for a while until the lady behind the counter looked up at me and asked me my age(15) LOL. Firmly bitten by the bug and still love the Trots now after nearly 40 years of watching them.

[The new German]

with all the negative stuff thats doing the rounds I thought I might try somthing to bring out some positive stuff.... so what got you hooked??

this is my story,



A short trottin’ story

I come from a family of horse people, one of my earliest memories was of me trying to convince my Dad we should have a horse in the backyard, just like Pop. Dad said “mate we just don’t have the room here” my response “ we could just get a little one, maybe a foal! “ Too young to realize, my mum and Dad got married very early in life, mum was looking after us 4 kids, dad a fireman on a regular, but limited income and another large mouth to feed was out of the question.
I was entranced by horses from my earliest memories, I don’t why, I just was.
A few years later, when I was about eleven ( many years to me, at the time) dad had made several promotions in the fire brigade and an opportunity had come to learn the ropes of the trotting game from a fellow fireman, Ron Connell.
I was in there straight away! Mucking out boxes, putting on boots, hosing down and cooling off, all the things the adults really didn’t want to do, mate I loved it!
Dad was doing his ticket ( driver’s permit) with a big skinny chestnut mare Ron had, called “Gay Marie” , a well bred NZ mare, who apparently had become disenchanted with the racing side of things. Gay Marie actually left a couple of handy progeny later in life despite her disaffection with racing, although she had apparently won a race before Dad got her.
Anyway Dad completes his trial drives and we take her to Cessnock trots for her first start for us ( notice how I say US! I was well and truly part of the team at this stage! ) It’s Dads first drive in a race and old Gay Marie doesn’t surprise anyone, she runs fair dinkum a hundred yards last. Didn’t try a yard! But that was pretty much what we expected by that stage.
Gay Marie becomes the first horse we sack! I really don’t remember how I felt about that at the time.
Anyhow* very shortly later Dad has leased a late 3YO gelding from “Spotlight Watson” of Kurri Kurri who had a bowed tendon, but had shown some promise. His racing name was “Charmed Gift” and for us he was well named!
Charmed Gift, a 1967 foal by Attacks Gift from “Charmhaven”, a mare that Rugby League legend John Sattler, drove his first couple of winners on. Not a well known fact.
“ Spot” as well called him, ( an undying habit in our family is to name a horse after the person you got it off) was one lovely horse, a beautiful nature, a tryer that wasn’t blessed with enormous ability but had a go every time he went around.
A couple of trials and many gear and shoeing adjustments later and Spot was ready for his first lifetime start, September 1970,at Newcastle, over 10 furlongs and 28 yards.
Horse and driver both went super leading throughout in the mud to win by a nose!
Spot was no star but his finest moment was about 18 months later, he’d won another race by then and was a 2.26 class horse (C2 on today’s terms), any way Dad decides he’s going to have a trip away with the horse, try some “big tracks” like Penrith and Canberra, because he reckons Spot feels like he’s not happy on the tight turns of Maitland and Newcastle ( both 550 metre and 600 metre tracks in those days.)
We get to Penrith for the Thursday night meeting, Spot’s a 100/1 in against horses like Hal Peterson ( K.Newman) and Royal Calypso ( P.Hall)… in a bloody ‘26 front at Penrith!!!
Dads mate Roger says to dad “we’ve got no hope here mate save our dough for Canberra ,what do you reckon?” Dad says nah I reckon I’ll something on him tonight, just in CASE!
Spot jumps out, sits behind the leader Hal Petersen, Dad and horse go for a run that’s not there at the 600m, get legs taken, all over.
We ( Dad, Roger and I, (who was wagging school for a few days) camped at Penrith in the stables that night before heading to Canberra the next day.
We get to Canberra and old spot is absolutely out of his skin! I had never seen him so “bull at a gate” He’d changed a bit from my old casual mate to being fair dinkum on his toes!!
I was a bit worried about Spot, and had a “heart to heart” conversation with him in the stable before we geared him up “ mate if you don’t do the job today it may be all over, Dad and Roger have backed you off the map”
Spot is in a standing start (only form of start in those days unless you were in the miracle Mile, which obviously we weren’t) over 12 furlongs or three laps of the half mile circuit.
Starter lets the tapes fly and Spot does something he had never done before and never did again in his entire life, he gallops hopelessly at the start !, got left at least 100 yards. I was gutted! All this way for a knock down and now this!
Now Spot was the sort of horse that would jump in the first two or three and finish in the first two or three, giving the leaders a big start was something he had never done and, in our minds was something he was incapable of overcoming.
I was standing at the entrance to the track, which was situated at the bottom of the home straight, in other words we were looking up the horses backsides as they went down the home straight. As the horses went up the back straight the first time around, Spot had finally got back in his gear but was a bloody long way behind the last horse let alone the leaders. I couldn’t believe it! It was completely NOT SPOT.
As the race progressed Spot was gradually making ground on the field, I thought at one stage, gee me might actually beat one or two home, wouldn’t that be a run!
With a lap to go Spot had caught the field and dad was gaining cheap, gradual yards up the fence, and I thought “ great effort but it’s going to tell in the last 800m”
Up the back straight the last time spot and dad kept making ground along the inside and when they got to where we were standing at the bottom of the straight, Spot was in the thick of it, only about two lengths off the leader, I thought geez, what a run!
As the field ran down the straight, I couldn’t hear the call because everyone around me was cheering on their horse, but I could see dad shift Spot off the fence getting pretty close to the post…. Then I heard the announcer say “ photo finish resting between Susan Bonney and Charmed Gift”
I thought, you RIPPER he’s run second!!
Then the course announcer says “Charmed Gift the winner, by a half neck, trained and driven by B.E Gibson at Waratah in Newcastle and what a run! They don’t bring them all this way for nothing!!
I was hooked….., and have been ever since!

That’s my “hooked” story,

Dan.

Good story Dan. Maybe it was those spare grapes you picked and fed him.

[Toohard]

In the next few days, as he prepares for his last race, there will be many words written and spoken about the feats of Smoken Up on the racetrack. No need for me to add to them. But I do have a little story to relate about what he has meant to us, my son and I.

I got interested in harness racing at about the same age as my son but in an entirely different way. When I was a kid my next door neighbour gave me a crystal radio set he was about to throw out. He said it only picked up one station and only worked at night but I could have it if I wanted it. No batteries needed. Stick the earplug in and fiddle with the dial until you tuned in to something. He was right it only picked up one station. 3UZ, a racing station of that time. As I lay in bed the first night I tried it out I caught a race from the Showgrounds. Didn't really know what it was I was listening to at the time. I can remember a horse called Young Globe won but I was more taken in by the noise of the crowd. And from the next morning I went in search of what it was I had listened to.

My sons' introduction was a little different. He had a terrible shyness problem and got very nervous around new people. 'Expert' professional advice followed. But nothing worked. Looking back now a couple of things happened that changed all that.

A horse I bred here won at his first start. I picked my son up from school at lunchtime on the way to his next start. I had to fill in a form to say why I was taking him out of school early. Somehow I didn’t think writing "Taking him to the trots" on it was going to be appropriate. The Principal obviously saw I was a little uncomfortable and said “Just put personal reasons". He won again that day. And that day my son found the same thing I discovered many years before and he was hooked. I don’t know what he said at school the next day but the next time I picked him up early the Principal handed me the form, winked and said "Is your horse in again today Mr Humphreys?" And like me he started investigating what this harness racing was all about.

That got my son moving forward. But how to keep that up?

An idea sprang to mind. I'll take him to the trots. Everyone talks to you at the trots. They don't care who you are and what you have, they just love talking horses. That will help with his shyness. We went to the last night at Moonee Valley. Sat in the stand together all night and just watched. He asked me all sorts of questions and I told him all sorts of stories of what I had seen there in my days. And then to Melton every week. At first he'd hide behind me when I spoke to people he didn't know. But that didn't last long. People came up to him to ask him about how "his horse" was going. No time to hide behind me. And as time went on his confidence slowly grew.

From moving forward to almost rolling. Didn't want him going backwards.

Enter Smoken Up and Lance Justice.

In all his research he found a horse he took a liking to. Of course I knew of Smoken Up, but he set his mind to finding out all he could about his new found idol. And he did. He used up a months internet allowance in 2 days watching his replays! We went everywhere to watch him. I saw Lance was down as a speaker at a function so booked us in. At question time my son stood up and asked him a question. A Smoken Up question of course. The boy who hid behind me was now standing up in a room full of strangers asking questions. When the function was over Lance came over and took him aside and had a chat to him about Smoken Up. I never asked what was said. I didn’t have to. I had a beaming young kid with me all the way home who couldn’t get the smile off of his face. Our trainer rang the next day and asked how we went. And it must have been something in my voice as I told him of our night because when I'd finished he said "So what time is Lance coming to pick your horse up?"

Now he's rolling

Our horse won a race later that had a trophy attached. When the race was done my son asked if he could make the speech. “You want to do what? You’re sure?” He really wanted to do it so off he went. And he did a great job. There were a few glows in the car on the way home that night. The dashboard lights of course and a proud dad and owner. But none brighter than the one emanating from the passenger seat. From his face you’d think he’d climbed Mt Everest. Maybe he had. The next day his school report came home. It commented "He has problems talking in front of an audience". HA!! His teachers could not believe it when they were told what he'd done the night before.

From rolling to flying!

As reward for his efforts at school I took him to the Miracle Mile to cheer for Smoken Up. Our first trip away together. We met heaps of new people. Met harness people because he had the form guide out all over the breakfast table at the hotel we were staying at near the track. Yes he was nervous but nothing like he was before. A mention of Smoken Up and you couldn’t shut him up. We had a great time and have been back to see him race there 4 more times. Every time we met new people and all the time he became more comfortable. And over to Adelaide 4 times to watch him. Again we met new people. Once to Adelaide to witness the great race. The one we reckon was his greatest win. And to Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong, Cranbourne and Melton and everywhere in between. 1000’s of miles and 100’s of hours spent with my son to watch a champion horse run.


All the ‘wise advice’ and nothing worked. He's got a long way to go but he's doing just fine. And mostly because of a horse. In years to come I hope he remembers. I'm sure he will. Just like that kid with the crystal radio set does.


So Smoken Up is much, much more than a champion racehorse to us. We’ve got a lot to thank him for and we will very much miss going to watch him race. He's more than the awesome beast that ground his opposition into submission and broke the hearts of the best ones. He's more than the horse that gave us so many thrills and much excitement. He's more than the horse with an unbelievable will to win.

He's the 'King of Horses'. And for the way he made us feel whenever we travelled to see him race he's also the ‘Horse of Kings’.

Go well Trigger!

[Messenger]

You mention the few glows in the car on the way home Paul. Your post makes me glow. Thanks

[dmac43]

Great read Paul. Hopefully you can have a photo on the wall winning (or running 2nd to washmepockets) in the Farewell Smoken up pace

[Amlin]

Brilliant post - maybe there is a thread in that (if not done already - how did you discover the trots?)

[FINEST]

What a fantastic read Paul, lets hope Trigger goes out a winner especially for your son.

[Mark Croatto]

Hey Paul

Thanks for sharing those thoughts; it was an inspiring and very interesting read. Hope you guys venture up Goulburn way again soon, perhaps Palais would enjoy a hit out in the Goulburn Cup on Australia Day

Regards

Mark

[Danno]

Gee wizz Paul, there is not one skerric of a doubt that is the best post of ANY kind I have seen on this forum, bloody marvelous read, thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it....things that come form the heart hopefully shine through, your choice of words ensured this story did!! thanks mate!

Cheers,
Danno

[Smoken]

Whatever Danno said + 100! Your son is very lucky to have a father like yourself Paul, and is very lucky to have had the privilege to see Trigger race through the years. He and many others will cherish those memories forever!

[Messenger]

Gee wizz Paul, there is not one skerric of a doubt that is the best post of ANY kind I have seen on this forum, bloody marvelous read, thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it....things that come form the heart hopefully shine through, your choice of words ensured this story did!! thanks mate!

Cheers,
Danno

To me the Humphreys family make the Waltons seem like the Osbournes. I have just re-read this whole thread and it is a great read, in no small part due to your own great opening post Danno

[brent_L]

Great read Paul. Speaking from experience, there are few feelings like being taken out of school early to spend quality time with your old man. GL cheering trigger home on Satdy.

[Toohard]

Great work Danno!! Love hearing those stories. Thanks all for your very kind words.

[Amlin]

Great thread. We all have our own stories about how we discovered racing.


My family punted on racehorses and had greyhounds, so there was no real interest/connection to the trots.


I learnt to read using The Sun Turf Guide, and by the time I was six I had developed an interest in race calling after first going to the dogs. This grew over the years running imaginary race meets in the back yard and by the time I was 14 I read in our local paper about harness racing trials at Warragul, so I wrote to the club and asked if they needed a caller. My only exposure to the sport had been listening to Moonee Valley on a Saturday night on UZ, and through a mate of dad's who lived around the corner and had an old horse he worked on his little track at home that we used to follow.


I was allowed to call a couple and as luck would have it, was given the trials gig just before I turned 15. I still do it today, over 17 years later! My initial involvement at Warragul led to practising at race meetings which led to more calling work, eventually doing race meets on radio/TV.


I was also asked to write on local harness racing in the local newspaper which led to researching two club histories, and winning an AHRC award, and then doing three years at Harness Racing Weekly.


Again my involvement at Warragul has led to over a decade on the committee, a life membership at age 30 as well as having served as Treasurer and Manager, and none of this would have been possible if I had not have written that letter all those years ago. I have met many great people, made some wonderful friends and have grown so much as a person because of my fascination with the trots.


I still remember being taken to the trots at Moonee Valley for the first time, I think on Victoria Cup night 1998, and I had never seen anything like it. It poured rain but I still remember the walk through the centre car park, along the tunnel and through the crush downstairs into the Market Place. The blinding glare of the lights as you walked in towards the stands, and how they seemed to shine for miles as you approached through the city. A venue that on big nights had a unique atmosphere.


About 12 months later I went back and had the opportunity to practice call some races in the spare box upstairs, an opportunity few would have had over the years. As a budding young caller, walking up level after level in the stand, and then up the enclosed ramp through the roof into the broadcast area, you can't help but think of all the greats who have walked up there over the years to ply their trade.


I stood on the South Hill when Lyell Creek won on Inter night in 2000 and have never heard a crowd noise like it, plus so many other big races there where the roar was just incredible.


Of course with the Valley gone for us trots fans now, we can still hold onto the memories!