By David Gilbert
UP until the end of autumn, it looked as though the number of metropolitan wins for the 2020-21 season for Limestone Coast trained gallopers was on target to break all records.
The highest number recorded in the past 25 years was 41 wins in the 2000-01 season and, up until May 22 this year, we had already racked up 30 winners in the city.
Alas, following the win by Dr Dee Dee in May, we then hit a brick wall as soon as winter arrived and we have not had a city winner since.
The stable with the most success was the combination of Sue and Jason Jaensch (prior to Sue heading to Murray Bridge) with seven wins, followed by Peter Hardacre (5), with Sue Murphy and Darryl Dodson on four wins each.
Both Royal Mile (trained by Lee Creek) and the James Dodgson trained Territory Titan had the most city wins with three victories each.
However, by far the real shining light for Limestone Coast racing at metropolitan level was the outstanding effort by apprentice Jacob Opperman to boot home 23 winners, all in the past seven months.
END OF SEASON FOR THE TROTS
ALTHOUGH two harness meetings had been scheduled for August, the pin has been pulled on the local season and there will be no more racing here until November.
In a media release to all concerned this week, Mount Gambier harness racing president Simon Phillips cited border restrictions, lockdowns and dwindling horse numbers as the reason to call an end to racing for the 2020-21 season.
A press release was also issued this week by Harness Racing SA advising the same, adding “HRSA is pleased that the combined meetings at Port Pirie and Mount Gambier were well patronised’.
I cannot vouch for the attendances at Port Pirie, but I strongly disagree that the Mount Gambier meetings were generally well patronised.
Local trainer Steve Fennell is laughing all the way to the bank with his in form pacer Vain Mara.
The eight-year-old gelding made it four successive wins at Globe Derby Park with an easy all-the-way win in the NR 69-120 pace last Saturday night.
It was money for jam for those who backed the even money favourite once driver Samanantha Pascoe was able to cross from barrier six and lead after 100 metres.
Fennell is striking while the iron is hot by heading back to Adelaide tomorrow night with Vain Mara who has drawn the pole in race five.
PROMISING TYPE
LOCAL trainer Ricky Bruhn looks to have a promising stayer on his hands with Goliotus ($2.35 fav.), a simple winner of the 2112 metre maiden/class one at Gawler last week.
The four-year-old gelding had won a 1550-metre maiden at Bordertown the previous start and relished both the heavy track and step up in distance at Gawler to give jockey Caitlyn Jones an armchair ride.
There were plenty of happy punters in the Limestone Coast – especially around Millicent – last Saturday afternoon after the locally owned Bear Arms ($23-$12) won the 2500-metre BM 68 handicap at Morphettville.
A lover of wet tracks, Bear Arms thrashed her rivals, beating fellow local Clever Man by a similar margin to that of their previous clash at Naracoorte.
HOPING FOR THIRD TIME LUCKY
ONE race meeting that has stood the test of time in rural South Australia is the annual meeting for the Mindarie-Halidon club, situated halfway between Tailem Bend and Loxton.
Crowds flock to the meeting in the Mallee from all points of the compass, including bus loads from Adelaide and the Riverland.
Back when the meeting held non-TAB status, it was run on VFL grand final day on the last Saturday in September and, in those times, the VFL grand final was not near as popular with us Croweaters as there were no South Australian sides in the competition.
The meeting had a real South East flavour as our racecaller George Kay made the annual trip to call the races, as did local starter Roger Whitehead.
Now it is conducted in mid September and next month will be run on Sunday, September 19.
A mini bus load of Mount Gambier sporting fans are heading there next month for the first time and they will be making a real weekend of it by going to the races in Adelaide on Saturday, Halidon on Sunday and returning the next day.
They, along with the Mindarie-Halidon club officials, have fingers crossed that the meeting will proceed in these uncertain COVID times.
For Mindarie-Halidon officials, it will be a case of third time lucky if the meeting is to be run at Haildon.
Two years ago, everything was going to plan until the track was sprayed prior to the meeting.
The wrong spray was used and instead of the arid track bursting into life, it promptly died and the meeting was abandoned.
Last year, because of COVID restrictions, the public were not allowed to attend and it was run at Murray Bridge.
The good folk of Karoonda, the nearest town of any size to Halidon, are already gearing up for a big day this time as I discovered recently when I popped into the local pub on my way to the Riverland.
It brought back memories of staying at the pub on a couple of occasions back in the 1980’s after the Mindarie-Halidon races.
On one occasion, our driver, a well known Mount Schank racing man, promised to do the right thing and behave himself at the races as it is a 30-kilometre drive from the racecourse back to Karoonda.
This he did, for the first half hour, until he met people he did not expect to see at the races.
The social atmosphere got the better of him and it was estimated he consumed at least 10 butchers of beer during the afternoon.
Our car load was in very good spirits as we headed to Karoonda on a warm spring day, singing along with the windows down to the Irish song Roisheen.
The frivolity immediately stopped on the sweeping bend coming into Karoonda where the local police officer was there to greet us with his random breath testing station.
Our driver went a whiter shade of pale and we were resigned to the fact he would be spending the night in the Karoonda lock up (in those days you were kept in custody overnight if caught drink driving).
Our rather shaken driver blew in the bag and waited for what seemed an eternity before the officer returned to the car with the result.
I vividly remember his words “you are clear to drive on” and everyone in the vehicle could only assume the machine was faulty or the officer did not want to entertain a prisoner for the night.
Being a Geelong Cats supporter, he is well aware he used up one of his nine lives that afternoon.
Next morning, one of our crew, somewhat worse for wear after a big night with the locals, entered our room and innocently stated, “I can’t find the stairs to go down to the dining room for breakfast”.
The curtains were pulled back so he could see outside which revealed that the hotel only had a ground floor and that there were no stairs.
COMING UP
SUNDAY, August 8: Bordertown races (all welcome, track inspection this morning) & Casterton races (public not allowed, essential workers only).
