21 November 2022 | Jordan Gerrans
It does not matter if it is a thoroughbred or standardbred race horse, Townsville’s Stephen Harris has a similar philosophy.
Harris believes that a happy and healthy horse usually leads to a winning galloper or pacer.
While, there a few slight differences in the two codes, the North Queenslander seems to have found the balance.
After being involved with the pacers and trotters for much of his life, Harris collected his first winner as a trainer in the gallopers on Sunday afternoon at Cluden Park.
The 49-year-old waited for a big occasion to land at the maiden milestone, as well, with the victory coming on Townsville Amateur Cup day with maiden horse Cool Harry.
The Eurozone gelding handed Harris his breakthrough triumph as a trainer at just his eighth attempt after putting a saddle on his first runner in late June of this year.
Harness racing has not been held north of Redcliffe in Queensland for many years and while Harris would still prefer to be involved with the pacers and the trotters, he took the next best option.
“Once racing is in your blood, it is very hard to get it out,” Harris said.
“I would like to still be racing harness horses up there, but that is not to be, so we just go this way as I love the horses.
“I just wanted to give the thoroughbreds a go because I love it.”
Many former Central and North Queensland harness participants have transferred over to the other racing code, including Troy Clive, Robert Rix, Michael Geaney, Stephen Massingham and John Manzelmann, among others.
The Harris name was ingrained in harness before the sport eventually closed in Townsville with Phillip, Mark, Ray and John involved before Stephen.
“My grandfather and my old man as well as my uncles, they were all involved in harness racing,” he said.
‘They were in it before I was even born in Townsville.
“They were involved all the way back in the 1970s and I really grew up around the trotting industry.”
While they are a different animal and it has been some time since the rookie thoroughbred trainer has been around them on a day to day basis, Harris says there is plenty of similarities between the pursuits.
“The whole idea with a harness horse is that if you have a happy and healthy horse, then you will have a good horse,” he said.
“It is all about knowing the animal, I am big about ensuring they are happy.
“I like to spend a lot of time with my horses.
“There is a few things I needed to adjust and change from the way we used to train harness horses, but we are getting there.”
Based at Black River in the northern area of Townsville, Harris has bandied together with a couple of other old harness participants.
Rix helps him prepare his couple of gallopers in work, as they work their team out of Clive’s property.
Clive has a jog track at his stables, as well as a swimming pool, with all fast work done at Townsville’s Cluden Park.
It was four-year-old Cool Harry who provided Harris – who is a painter by trade – his maiden victory as a trainer.
But, he would not have had the former NSW galloper in his barn if not for stable mate Haralben.
Haralben was the first horse Harris purchased after taking out his licence.
When the veteran gelding arrived in the Sunshine State, he suffered an injury that put him on the sidelines for about six months.
As Harris was eager to start his training ventures and did not want to wait half a year until Haralben could return to the track, he went online that evening and purchased Cool Harry online for just $3,000.
The racing tragic has long followed the famous stable of Bart and James Cummings and was keen to buy a son of Eurozone, leading him to pick up Cool Harry from trainer Mick O’Neill in Coffs Harbour.
He ran second in his first-up run this preparation late last month before breaking his maiden status at Cluden Park on Sunday in a 1300 metre event under the urgings of hoop Denicious Smith.
‘He is very promising and while he has had a lot of starts, he is still very much a baby in his head,” Harris said of the Cool Harry.
“He just wants to play and the penny has not quite dropped for him.
“He is still immature and while he won well on Sunday, he just runs and does not understand what it is all about yet.
“He came to me initially in great order and he has really turned the corner after his poor form down south.”
The fledgling trainer will target Cool Harry towards a suitable racing in the coming weeks after he pulled up well from Sunday’s effort.
Harris says he is happy with two gallopers in work and does not plan to expand his stable.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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