by Michael Howard
Mateship was to the fore at Charlton yesterday when Glenn Douglas and Michael Bellman crossed the line in the same sulky after a collision in the finishing straight.
Douglas’ drive Pocket The Deal galloped in the final 200m in the Cup Day Fanatics 3YO Classic, veering in on Michael Bellman’s Knight Sky Safari, who was hugging the pegs.
Bellman takes up the commentary.
“At the time, when I looked up, I saw it sort of gallop and it was holding its ground in a straight line and I thought I’m going to be all right,” he told RSN 927 this morning.
“Josh Duggan (driving Islandspecialmajor) got through underneath it, only just, and once he cleared Josh he just took two bounds to the left and I was coming through at a fairly quick rate of knots and just couldn’t miss him in the end.
“As he whipped across, I hit him with that much force I Shanghaied (Glen) into my cart.”
While Douglas leapfrogged into the sulky from the right, Bellman was almost spat out to the left, with only quick reactions and a bit of teamwork preventing either from hitting the canvas.
“I didn’t really even know at the time, because I had fallen to the left and was heading out of the cart,” Bellman said.
“I was lucky I got hung up underneath the undercarriage of the sulky and hung on with my legs.
“I pushed myself back up off the ground to get back in and as I looked back, here’s Glenn hanging on the other shaft.
“He looked like he was planking for a second, he was laying right back. I’ve just got myself back in, reached down and grabbed him by the hand and pulled him back up in.”
It was a great piece of drivers camaraderie, although that friendship only extends so far.
“I’m just dirty if he hits me up for half my driving fee,” Bellman said.
Most importantly, no drivers nor horses were harmed in the incident.
Click here to see vision of the thrilling finish.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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