RESULTS from a quartet of pacing meetings held over a four day period last weekend, including last Monday’s meeting at Pinjarra Paceway, may have been a case of lean pickings for Southern Corridor trainers but the news was not all doom and gloom.
Waroona-based pacing and trotting trainer Bob Mellsop was successful with Baby Jack in the Gift of Life Trotters Discretionary Handicap and Pinjarra's Shane Young gave owners N and S Mills reason to celebrate with the fifth win in a row of four-year-old Courage Point at Gloucester Park’s Sunday meeting.
Forrestdale trainer Alan Bell did not hesitate to back up his stable star Can Return Fire from his scintillating win at the Pinjarra Paceway meeting on September 29, nominating the four-year-old son of Courage Under Fire for the Dr Pat Cranley Memorial which featured a classy field including WA Derby winner Argent Treasure and the Garry Hall-trained Im Themightyquinn.
Driven by Colin Brown, the early leader for driver of the year at Pinjarra Paceway, Can Return Fire took up the early running and careered away for his third win this time back.
He won at good odds, paying a remarkable $7 for the dollar unit.
Happy to keep the youngster at this stage, Bell is believed to have refused offers of up to $150,000 for the pocket rocket, no doubt with races such as the Golden Nugget in mind.
Spirit of Shard is unlikely to venture to Pinjarra Paceway any time soon, given Garry Hall’s love of the track at Gloucester Park, but he looks set to take on all comers over the Summer Carnival and has been successful in his six starts here in the west since arriving from Victoria.
Emotions ran high at the RWWA Harness Racing Awards on Saturday night at the Government House ballroom with industry participants and invited guests mingling as compere Bob Harnett introduced participants in a variety of categories.
The broodmare of the year award went to Before Night Falls.
Stallion of the year was Parsons Den, the sire of Amongst Royalty, who was the recent winner of the $20,000 Chaff City Golden Girls Mile, along with talented juvenile James Matthew just to name two.
The leading driver award went to Chris Lewis and the industry employee award to Amber Sparks who works with trainer Ross Olivieri.
The young achiever award was a closely contested affair between Justin Prentice and Morgan Woodley with Prentice just pipping Woodley at the post.
Garry Hall Snr again came the fore after an outstanding season and was named the leading trainer.
James Mathew featured as the two-year-old harness horse of the year and the harness horse of the year in the open section.
The John Graham Bunbury-trained Lively Royce was the three-year-old harness horse of the year.
The major awards were presented to some very excited trainers, drivers and connections of pacers.
Guests were left stunned when the man who has made the art of calling pacing events his very own, ace caller John Hunt, was called to the stage for a special presentation.
Hunt has retired from the airwaves to pursue the dream he has long held, a career in the written media.
The Mandurah resident, who to pacing stalwarts Australia-wide is the very essence of what constitutes a perfect race caller, gave one of his most inspired and heart-wrenching speeches.
He recalled memorable moments in his career, pacers he had seen, documentaries he had won awards with and the growth of a generation of drivers, the likes of Phil Coulson, Fred Kersley and the new kids on the block Woodley and Prentice.
Although hoping to make guest appearances at some of the Summer Carnival feature races at Gloucester Park, no doubt Hunt’s last race call in a month’s time is going to equal the tears shed by countless thousands as they sat through the film The Horse Whisperer.
With no peer in Australia, John Hunt is going to be sadly missed but those who know his absolute passion for the horse, in particular the tough as old boots standard bred, are keeping their fingers crossed that his dulcet tones won't be lost to harness racing forever.