by Chris Barsby
The Albion Park Harness Racing Club will perpetuate the memory of two outstanding contributors this weekend.
On Saturday night, the metropolitan club will stage the Wayne Wilson Memorial Paleface Adios Classic and the Jim McNeil Memorial Trotting Championship Final.
And both races have drawn together outstanding fields.
“We’re extremely proud of this race meeting each and every year, both of these gentlemen played instrumental roles for the sport and we’re beyond proud to have their names up in lights again this weekend.” Albion Park Harness Racing Club Chairman David Fowler said.
Wilson, a broadcasting legend and longtime caller at Albion Park passed away back in 2014 after a long battle with cancer.
He was 66.
A massive supporter of harness racing and the Albion Park Harness Racing Club, it was no surprise to see his name marked alongside his favourite pacer in the ‘Temora Tornado’.
Wilson called Paleface Adios too many of his victories and became great friends with Colin and Shirley Pike during their many travels to the Sunshine State during the 1970’s.
The 2017 Wayne Wilson Memorial Paleface Adios Classic has drawn a full field of ten and will be staged over the 1660m; the ideally drawn Colt Thirty One will start favourite following his impressive debut victory at the track ten days ago.
Wilson is remembered as a great race broadcaster, mentor, role model, charity worker and family man.
He was the voice of Queensland thoroughbred and harness racing for five decades, first with Radio station 4BC and later with RadioTAB.
The juvenile feature is scheduled as race 7 on the program.
In the minds of many who are fans of the traditional trotter, the “McNeil” is the most important of our two feature trot races in the Queensland calendar.
It commemorates the decisive contribution of Jim McNeil to the establishment of the trotter as a racing reality in the Sunshine State.
McNeil invested a large sum of money in loosely assessed trotters, which he purchased in New Zealand and flew to Queensland, where he saw that they fell into the hands of trainers who were keen to see the gait go forward. It was instant racing, and 18 years later we are still forging steadily ahead.
The 2017 Jim McNeil Memorial Trotting Championship Final marks the 7th running of the feature event.
It is scheduled as race 8 on the program.
Respected horseman Doug Lee is chasing back to back victories following his success last year aboard Justabitnoisy.
The first of 10 races this Saturday night is scheduled to start at 5.05pm local time.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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