Almost seventy years ago I first ventured on to a racetrack and saw my first harness race. It was at Richmond, Nelson, and I was there because the course at Nelson doubles as the A&P grounds, and my parents thought they were sending me to enjoy healthy A&P-ish entertainment while our household goods were being unloaded from the pantechnikon into our new home ...
Their error launched in me a passion which lasts to this day. And has cost me probably $1m. Because thirty years ago, on my return to New Zealand, I took the fatal step of buying a racehorse of my own. Worse, DAVEY CROCKETT won five races ... so I bought another, then another ... then I bred my first own foal ...
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| That fatal first win |
Well, I see that -- all in all -- I've now owned or part-owned the winners of 59 races in New Zealand, Australia and France and I'm still going. EMILY (8 wins) is going back into training in a week or three ...
But I shall be watching her from my invalid's chair, on the television. A day at the races, alas, is now too much for me. This week, I sponsored the main trot at the Rangiora club's winter meeting. Which meeting just happened to fall on Wendy's birthday. The club invited us to lunch at the track ... so for the first time in a few years I donned decent clothes and headed down the road ...
I had presumed on my forces. Lovely lunch, light beer, but with 'our' race still an hour away I could feel myself weakening. Well, I invariably have an hour's post-prandial snooze ... There was nothing for it but to head for the President's Bar (which 20 years ago was run by me!) and its stock of whisky. Well, thanks to Mel Higgins, sommelier par excellence, I made it ...
It is just as well that I did, for I realise now that it was in all likelihood my last raceday adventure. There's just so much an old bloke can manage. Even with a great dollop of whisky!
And it was a fine race to go out on. I was a bit sad when the fields came out to see that the best horses in the South Island had chosen to race elsewhere -- FIERY BANDITO and HIDDEN TALENT down south, MR LOVE at Addington -- for equivalent stakemoney. I was a bit sad that the favourite for our race declined to leave the start line. But I was thrilled with the result!
I have loved 'Eddie', otherwise RACHMANINOV for ages .. watched him tot up no less than thirteen wins ... yes, he was the perfect winner for a valedictory race!
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| Trainer Trevor Grant and The Sponsors |
Bless you, Eddie!
