Prelude to story number 34.
A few years ago, at the height of the Lyell Creek ‘boom’, John Tapp, on In The Gig, asked his viewers to tell him if this was the best trotter we had seen. I wrote in and said he wasn’t even in my top three! Tapp read the letter on air, and this caused quite a ‘stir’, particularly ‘across the pond’!
No rational person would argue with my first choice, Maori’s Idol, and if you read my story on Gramel (story No. 8 I think) you would see why I thought she was second best, but it was my 3rd choice which caused all the comment and HE is the subject of this story.
GREAT HARNESS HORSES 1960-1980
COURT JESTER
Court Jester was by Gay Reveler out of Proclaim and was her first foal. He was offered for sale at the 1973 Sydney Yearling Sales, held to co-incide with the Inter Dominion series held there that year. However lot number 170 was passed in, and the buyers there that day missed an opportunity to purchase a future champion, one of the greatest trotters ever seen in this country.
He was, I believe, the only trotter she foaled, but I may stand corrected on that. Her next foal, also by Gay Reveler, was Sengren Suru, and he was a more than handy pacer winning a number of races at Harold Park.
Although he was Victorian owned and trained, Court Jester had his first start at Fairfield on 13-4-74 in the Messenger Preview. He started at 2-5, won rating 2-22 7/10 for the 8½ furlong event, and beat Delcain by 3½ metres. The 3rd horse, Be Tidy, was oficially distanced, and the rest of the field somewhere further behind him! He had his next start 5 days later at Shepparton off 10 metres in a 2yo Trot and ran 2nd to Record Note. He would not be beaten again for the next 2 years. Eleven days later he came back to NSW and raced at Bankstown, winning in Australian record time and beating the 2nd horse, Mark Garrison by 80 metres! That was the end of his 2yo season and he finished with 3 starts for 2 wins and a second.
Resuming as a 3yo, four months later at Cranbourne, he started at 2-9 and won by 60 metres in track record time. A month later he raced there again in a heat of the Memorial Trot, winning easily, and the following week won the final by 35 metres in track record time. Given a short 2 months break, he next raced at Shepparton on 12-11-74 and again won easily. He was then given a 5 months spell and resumed at Kilmore on 7-4-75 off 60 metres in a 3yo Trot. Because of his handicap and the fact he was racing first up, the bookies took chances with him and bet 4-6, a ‘luxury’ price for such a talented trotter. He repaid them by beating Record Note by ‘only’ 20 metres. His next start was a sensational race. In Melbourne for the Victorian Trotter’s Derby, he broke badly at the start and lost 100 metres, but still won easily!
A month later he was back in NSW for the NSW Trotter’s Derby at Menangle. He started at 1-8, rated 2-8 1/10, a new Australian record, and won by 60 metres with the 3rd horse 48 metres further behind. Two weeks later he was in S.A. for the S.A. Trotter’s Derby at Globe Derby Park. Once again he made it a one act affair and won by 60 metres taking out his 3rd Trotter’s Derby. As a 3yo Court Jester was unbeaten in 8 starts and had now won 9 consecutive races.
He resumed as a 4yo at Kilmore in November, started off 60 metres, ran a new Australian record rate of 2-7 4/5, and won by 20 metres. Nine days later he came off 50 metres at Ballarat and ran a new track record beating Prince Kid by 30 metres. A month later he came off 30 metres at Shepparton, and won a ‘fast’ class trotter’s event by 16 metres, and set ANOTHER new track record. He then returned to the Showgrounds on 17-1-76. They had a ‘bumper’ crowd that night, 17,472, most of them there to see this new ‘wonder’ trotter, and he didn’t disappoint, but it wasn’t as easy as most would have thought. Just as he did at his first start there he galloped at the start, but for about 200 metres this time! After 1 lap he was STILL 100 metres from the leader, but he then sprinted hard to catch the field and went straight around them to go to the front 2 laps from home. He raced clear at the 400 metre mark and won very easily. This was a sensational win as
he was up against seasoned open class trotters NOT young 3yo’s! Those who took the 1-7 odds must have breathed a sigh of relief, however, as he coasted to a very easy 12 metre win. It was his 13th consecutive victory.
A week later he raced there again and set a new track record, winning by 10 metres at the ‘luxury’ odds of 2-7. He got away to a ‘reasonable’ start, for him, and was only 40-50 metres off the leader after settling. He then sprinted to catch the field and, as he did the previous week, went straight around them to lead after just 1 lap! With 600 metres to go he raced away from the field to record another VERY easy win. He then travelled to Globe Derby for the 1976 Inter Dominion carnival. On the first night he won his heat by 12 metres from Derby Royale but trouble came after the race. The stewards charged his driver, Dal Fitzpatrick, with causing interference to Trail Of Gold on the first turn and suspended him. His connections would not allow anyone else to drive Court Jester so he was scratched from the rest of the carnival!
This was an incredible move by the connections, as here we had the best trotter in Australia racing in the ultimate race for a harness horse, the InterDominion, at the top of his form and with the race seemingly at his mercy. On current displayed form all he had to do was ‘go around’ and yet they scratched him to make a point rather than let a substitute driver handle him ! The stewards then fined them $200 for scratching their horse with an unacceptable reason! With his heat win he had equalled the record for most consecutive wins by a trotter, 15, set by Delvin Dancer back in 1967. Before going back home they wanted to break the record so, with Fitzpatrick’s ‘holiday’ over he contested a trotters FFA at GD a week after the Inter Dominion final.
He drew wide in the mobile 11¼ furlong event and was 3 wide for the entire first lap until he found a place in the field. Two laps from home he was driven hard to take the lead but, despite this hard run, still had enough in reserve in the run home to hold off the previous weeks ID winner, Bay Johnny, who had a ‘charmed’ run on the fence, and won in track record time, rating 2-5 7/10. This gave him 16 consecutive wins and the new Australian record for a trotter, the pacer’s record being 24 set by Lucky Creed. Given 3 months off he resumed at Cranbourne from 20 metres in a PACER’S race! He couldn’t quite give them that much start and finished 3rd beaten less than 2 metres. His last start for the season was at Kilmore a week later in a fast class trotter’s FFA where he beat Touch Merchant and El Cordobies. As a 4yo Court Jester had 9 starts for 8 wins and a third. He was also named Trotter of the year for 1976.
He resumed 6 months later at Mooney Valley off 40 metres and finished 7th, but that was all the ‘warming up’ he needed. He then raced at HP on 19-11-76 in the Trotter’s Cup, coming off 15 metres and winning easily in record time. He was away well and then raced up to try and take the lead from the pacemaker, Lawmaker, but he refused to surrender the lead and left Court Jester to ‘face the breeze’. With 1½ laps to go Court Jester again sprinted hard and this time got to the front. From there it was just a procession as the champion trotter won as he liked.
Two weeks later he contested the V.L. Dullard cup at MV and, despite his 30 metre handicap, won easily setting a new Australian record for the 14½ furlong event. He broke at the start, as he usually seemed to do in Melbourne, but once trotting went very fast to catch the field and go straight up and challenge for the lead. Once again the leader was Lawmaker and, just as he did two weeks earlier, he refused to surrender the lead leaving Court Jester leading the outside runners. With 600 metres to go he raced past Lawmaker and won as he liked. Three weeks later he won a FFA at MV beating Touch Merchant and Rockin Dale, breaking his Australian record set just 3 weeks earlier by almost 2 seconds! This was ANOTHER sensational win. After breaking at the start and losing about 70-80 metres, he then caught the field and settled down in last place. With 1400 metres to go he sprinted up 3 wide to get outside the leader, Touch Merchant. These two raced 4
lengths clear of the rest of the field and staged their own private two horse war for the entire last lap, but Court Jester was, as always, far too good and won easily. A month later he won another FFA there but this time almost became the first trotter in Australia to break 2.0 in a race. He rated 2-0 7/10 for the one mile race and easily beat Bold Apepa in Australian record time. A week later he beat Rockin Dale and Touch Merchant by 15 metres in another FFA. Two weeks later he injured himself during the running of another FFA. He was leading half way down the home straight with the race safely in his keeping when he sufferd a leg injury, broke, and finished 4th. The injury was a bad one and he was then retired to stud duties. As a 5yo Court Jester had 7 starts for 5 wins. He was, once again, voted Trotter of the year. His record now read 27 starts for 23 wins and 2 placings!
His story should have ended there, but 2 years later with his leg now healed, he was put back into work and made a return to the track on 7-7-79 as a 7yo. His first start back was at MV where he finished 8th to Maori Mara. Two months later he ran 6th to Christian Leslie and 3 weeks after that ran 3rd in a FFA behind Harogwen. The following week he ran 3rd again, this time behind Hilton Adios. On 12-1-80 he ran 3rd again in another FFA at MV before travelling to Geelong for the McNamara Memorial on 30-1-80. He won this race beating Harogwen and Proud Stella and 2 weeks later ran 2nd in a MV FFA before running 4th in a similar event on 23-2-80. He had his last start on 5-4-80 at MV in the E.B. Cochran Cup and he ended his career on a winning note beating Bold Apepa. His final career statistics are 36 starts for 25 wins and 6 placings.
His AVERAGE winning margin during his 16 consecutive wins was 30 metres per race, and despite winning so easily set 9 new track records and 3 Australian records.
Court Jester was considered by many experienced judges as the best trotter ever seen in this country, which was not too hard to accept given his record, yet while he was racing ANOTHER trotter was making his way through the ranks in a similar fashion to Court Jester, a trotter called Maori’s Idol. It is a tragedy that they never met in a race as this would have been SOME race! So dominant did Maori’s Idol become that we seem to have almost forgotten Court Jester, yet here was a trotter that, during his racing career, was being called the best trotter of all time! He deserves to be remembered, because he is STILL one of the 3 greatest trotters produced in this country, in my opinion. The Melbourne race caller, Ray Benson, was ALSO very impressed with Court Jester and told his listener’s on many ocassions that he was the BEST trotter in Australia and the best he had ever seen!
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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