29 January 2018 | Terry Neil
SIX local harness racing identities were honoured and lovingly recalled when the Memorial Night fixture took place at Bathurst Gold Crown Paceway last Wednesday.
The meeting has become firmly established in recent years as one of the summer highlights, particularly for families and friends of those honoured, who gather in numbers to pay respect and relive some family harness history.
This year’s races honoured trainer-drivers Keith Colley and B. J. (Jim) Turnbull, owners John Clayton and Don & Alfreda Callan, and administrators Harold Lonard and Kevin Dougherty.
The “old” track on the Bathurst Showgrounds is the common backdrop for the race book biographies which told some of their histories. All of them would doubtless be impressed with the new complex “up on the hill” at Mount Panorama.
Keith Colley’s horses carried the “Swift” prefix, so it was fitting that the winner of the C2 race named for him, Master Benny (Jason Turnbull for Wayne White) , should set the standard for the night, with a 1:55.5 mile rate for the sprint trip.
With the first half run in a gut-busting 56.7s , Master Benny hopped onto the three-wide train down the back the final time and got the better of Rockn And Rolln close to home for a good win, impressing his trainer with his ability to back up well within a few days.
Warren Lonard, whose father Harold served as the Bathurst Trotting Club secretary for a remarkable 35 years until the mid-‘eighties, was elated when his lone horse Our Wall Street Wolf NZ (Anthony Frisby, for trainer Chris) took out his dad’s race, in a tough staying performance.
Second-up from a six-month break, the McArdle son sat parked for the last mile of the 2260 metres C3 event, and showed Harold Leonard-type tenacity to get up for a good win, the best of his seven to date, and certainly the most emotion-charged.
John Clayton, whose namesake Little Digger chased home Our Wall Street Wolf in the second, would have approved of the winning drive behind Presidential Dude ( Justin Reynolds, for father David ) in “his” race, the 2260 metres C0/C1 third.
Reynolds rated the Presidential Ball four-year-old perfectly, quickening down the back in 28.4s to keep his rivals off the bit, and maintaining his advantage in a 28.7s final quarter for a 1:59.4 mile rate.
It was win number 11 for the ever-improving Oberon teenager.
Mitch Turnbull maintained his lead in the Junior Drivers Premiership when he brought his father’s runner Star Writer with a strong sprint to take out the 2260 metres fast-class Don & Alfreda Callan Memorial, after a nice trip mid-field in the running line.
The speed was on throughout, with a first half in 59s and final quarters of 27.9s and 28.6s producing an impressive mile rate of 1:55.9s for the longer trip.
A fast-finishing second in the race was Mister Haywood, raced by Harriett Bourke, daughter of the Callans and the lady who makes dress rugs for Bathurst and many other race clubs.
The blue-and-white one she lovingly made for this race almost got to go back home with her, but it will match the colour scheme of winning owner John Starr.
Graham Betts drove Browns Creek Boy confidently to score an easy win in the B.J.Turnbull C0 class sprint, taking up the running at the 1200 metres point and sprinting home in 58.3s for a 1:58.2 mile rate. It earned him Drive of the Night honours from Fred Hastings.
A large group of family and friends listened as Terry Turnbull spoke of pride in that Turnbull name, and the family spirit that makes the Turnbulls the keenest of rivals on the track and good friends and supporters away from it.
Kevin Doherty, a long-time President and a Life Member of the Bathurst HRC, was an unassuming type who wanted no fuss, a quality shared by Kerryann Turner, trainer-driver of Major Lucky NZ which led throughout for the night’s easiest win in the 3C0/3C1 Doherty Memorial.
Blistering last quarters of 27.7s and 28.2s meant the race was over a long way from the line, but it was noteworthy that Gold Crown champion Castalong Shadow, which has struggled somewhat in his races this time in, seemed to find another gear to be getting home strongly, albeit a long way from the runaway winner, who is rated highly by his trainer.
It should be pointed out that , with only enough horses for six races at the meeting, the Memorial races for John & Margaret Donnelly, and Norm & Garth Harkham, will be staged at the next Bathurst meeting on February 7.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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