She might have come a cropper during last year’s Ekka but Clifton harness racing driver Stacey Weidemann is shaking off the spot of bad luck to focus on winning this Sunday’s $10,000 Garrards Horse & Hound – Big Dog Show Grand Final prize.
Harness racing heats and finals raced over 1609 metres, four laps of the show ring track, commenced last Friday at the Ekka and will culminate in the Grand final on the last day of the Royal Queensland Show.
24 year-old Stacey and aunties, show champion driver Lola Weidemann and show champion trainer Julie Weidemann have 15 horses racing at the Ekka.
Stacey will be both driving and preparing the horses including her sentimental favourite Grandads Boy.
So far she has driven three winners, Mac Sweet and Aviators Dream (2 wins) which won a Final last Saturday.
“It’s good to be back,” Stacey said as she showed scars she earned after hitting the dirt during at the 2014 show.
“We went pretty good last year.
“I got leading points driver at the show and our stable won the big race with another horse (Lonesome Mach)”.
Once traditionally a male dominated sport, harness racing is now very much also a female domain.
“I think people like softer hands on their horse,” Stacey said. “Girls can sometimes get along better with horses as well. ” I like being happy with the drive and being able to say you’ve given your horse every opportunity and see the horse go well for how you have driven it.”
Last year’s Grand Final winner Lonesome Mach is the Weidemann family’s best prospect to win the Grand Final again on Sunday. The gelding won last Sunday’s final in very good time so he is on track again to compete in the big race.
Racing Queensland has added a new perpetual trophy to the final, the ‘Ekka Plate’ which will be presented to the champion driver.
The Weidemann’s final winners at the Show during the past six days include Ghost Gum (Day 1 S0 Final); Aviators Dream (Day 2 S1-S3 Final); Lonesome Mach (Day3 S4 Final); Moon Rocket (Day 5 S0 Final).
This week has been a busier than usual week for the Weidemann’s with the stable also racing at the Queensland TAB meetings at Albion Park and Redcliffe. As soon as the Show racing is completed each day, there is a mad dash from the Ekka grounds near the Royal Brisbane Hospital to either Albion Park (5 kms) or Redcliffe (38 kms) to race there.
Last night Lola drove in the last two races at Redcliffe after competing at the Show and she also drove after the Show at Albion Park last Friday and Saturday nights.
Once the Show is over the team will be back to competing in the day to day TAB races but one race meeting will be really special for the family.
Warwick’s Allman Park Racecourse, the family’s local thoroughbred racetrack, will host a Charity harness race meeting on Father’s Day, Sunday 6 September. The Darling Downs Harness Racing Club conduct this race meeting which was a major success when raced as a non-TAB day last year. The Club expects the race meeting to be huge this year with TAB betting on all races.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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