SA Harness Highlights - 27 August 2007

Late Freight Just In Time

The Late Freight Syndicate were in good voice at Globe Derby Park last Friday night as their trotter Parkland Magpie got the judges nod by the barest of margins in the Pay Me Christian Nevele R Stud Trot.

Parkland Magpie is trained at Hewett by Ross Smith and driven by son Ian who is the manager of the 22-strong Late Freight Syndicate. And there was good reason the syndicate members on course were happy with the win, as it was their first at Globe Derby in over 2 years.

The Late Freight team had good success with another trotter in Are Cee Darcy who won four races in 2005 but didn’t see any further success until March this year when Parkland Magpie was a winner at Kapunda.

Parkland Magpie had 13 starts for four minor placings between the Kapunda win and last weekends when he got the decision by only millimetres in a tight photo finish over a fast finishing Thanksforasking.

 

Harding Record Cut-Short

David Harding looks set to record a new season record of 174 wins with the current racing term set to end on Friday night and doubts as to his chances of getting in the sulky again before the new season officially starts on Saturday night.

As well as breaking his record for wins in a season by a South Australian driver, the talented Globe Derby reinsman also managed to break his record for wins in SA by recording win number 170 on the exciting four-year-old Fleet Magic at headquarters last Monday afternoon.

Harding came away without a victory at last Friday night’s Globe Derby meeting, but managed three seconds and three thirds from his only six drives on the card.

 

Industry Awards Function Announced

Keep October 28 free in your diaries, as that will be the date for this seasons SA Harness Racing Industry Awards Day.

In keeping a similar format to last years successful event, the SA Reinswomens Association, SA Square Trotters Association, BOTRA, the SA Harness Racing Club and Harness Racing SA will combine for an afternoon of awards to recognise the industry’s achievers.

The day, which includes a smorgasbord lunch, will start at 12 noon and further information include tickets prices and details be available in the coming weeks.

 

Equine Influenza Virus Disrupts Racing

On Saturday morning Harness Racing SA acted on a report regarding preliminary tests that showed a number horses at Sydney’s Centennial Park were likely to be affected with the highly contagious exotic Equine Influenza virus.

HRSA Chairman of Stewards Gerrard Lalor, in consultation with HRSA Veterinary Surgeon Dr Peter Horridge, made the decision on the postponement of that evenings meeting and Sunday’s trials fixture.

Through his roles with both the thoroughbred and harness racing industries Dr Horridge had been a part of the cross-country discussions that were carried out on Saturday morning which came to the conclusion that the only way to address the situation safely and control the spread was to cancel the days meetings nationwide.

The upcoming Gawler and Royal Adelaide Shows also presented a worrying factor for the decision-makers in SA.

By lunchtime on Saturday, the federal government had declared a 72-hour lock down on all horse movements across Australia, with owners and trainers not able to move any horses off the properties they were currently stable on. Both the Globe Derby and Gawler training tracks also fell under this order and both facilities were locked up early on Saturday afternoon.

That order was set to be reviewed on Tuesday with the hope that if no further outbreaks were reported, it could be lifted for racing to resume by the weekend. However if further cases of equine influenza were detected, the horse industry in Australia could face further suspension on any transport or movements and subsequently racing.

 

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COMMENT: Our harness racing industry, and the racing and horse industries in general, are often taken for granted. People sometimes overlook the time, energy and enthusiasm it takes from everybody involved, to keep the various cogs moving.

Australia has been built on the deeds of our equine heroes and horse racing has been a major part of the landscape since the First Fleet landed over 200 years ago. Despite the various pressures of privatisation, the competing gambling dollar, rising insurance and in-house conflicts, the off-hand comment that ‘racing will be around forever’ is often made.

It takes the events of this past weekend to highlight how fragile we really are.

The whole industry – participants, punters, employees and reciprocal businesses alike – will take a very hard hit from this Equine Influenza scare, but hopefully will come out of it thankful that we can still go to the races each week and united in taking the sport forwards.

 

 

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Neal Conder

HRSA Ltd