It is nearly four years since I attended a harness racing meeting. After many years devoted to the sport (they call it an industry nowadays), I gave it away, sickened by the cheating and mismanagement that had invaded the game in the eternal chase, by hook or often by crook, after dollars.
So I found homes for the horses, and the soft-boiled egg silks, which had, in their time, won races from Domfront (France) to Kaikoura (NZ) were consigned to a drawer. I couldn't throw them away, although there was no likelihood of their ever seeing a racetrack again .. ..
But, yesterday, May Day 2022, they did.
Because, during my years 'away', I did suffer dangerously, at times, from mal de cheval. And, on one of those vulnerable days, a friend called and said 'did I know ...?'. There was a filly for sale on some website that was a fourth generation baby of the Gerolstein family ... I picked up the phone and called our trainer of forever ... he'd not only noticed her, but he'd put his marker on her ...
And so we became the owners of Emily .. by Imperial Count (who?) out of Duchesse de l'Amour out of La Grande-Duchesse out of Gwen ... all good Gerolstein girls. We own two legs, and Frank and John, who had been involved with another Gerolstein babe, chipped in on the other two ...
Emily came along nicely, and in her two year-old season she went to the Qualifying Trials, won her heat, but didn't qualify because of a frightened beginning. And went for a rest. Time enough for her to qualify in the spring. Which she duly did. This time it was the others who put in the fancy steps while she did a sage trot along behind and won her ticket ... Then, another wee rest ... and this time it was the real thing!
Back to the trials at Rangiora. Tootling along nicely, while the leader scoots off lengths ahead. "Can't keep up" declares the commentator. Oh yes, she can. She just doesn't care for that last bend. And here she comes, gobbling up the lengths, to hit the front just before the line ... 3.29 and change. Fair enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRXloy5dq4Y
OK. She's being aimed for a debut at Rangiora on 1 May. So just one more trial hit out before then ... but against opposition which had already won races. No sweat. She's already won trials, don't need to win any more for credentials. So, she just cruised round ("flat" "can't keep up") and finished with the bunch.
And then it was May Day Meeting. Omigod! Twenty-eight nominations for a 15-horse field! And a full fifteen with "form" and "first preference" for places in the field. Well, thanks to that last Trial win and a few defections, we made it.
I was slightly taken aback when I saw the 'tipster's' comment in the programme. Had (s)he actually seen the trials ..? He was basically saying 'no chance'.
I was taken even further aback when I saw the tote odds: $50 to win and $8 for a place? Thirteenth elect out of fifteen? But there are a few in there she's beaten roundly at the Trials! I know: trials are different to raceday, but ... why is she so unloved? It's those weird chaps who have been saying "can't keep up". Ah, well. Little Emily doesn't know the 'experts' are being rude about her. And I, well, I don't bet, so I don't care about odds. But I see Aunty Faye and Frank snuck off to the tote, bless them!
I don't remember the race very clearly. My eyes were scotched to that blob of soft-boiled-egg silk that was Murray's jacket.
Would she go away cleanly? Amongst 15 scatty maiden trotters? YES! Three of the others did their chips as the tapes flew, but Murray was carefully steering our lassie through the middle ... there's the yellow blob, mid-field ...
And, oh, my goodness how did he (and she) do that? She's ended up in the favoured one out-one back spot! Round her unfavourite turn ... and she's still there as the attacks are launched ... and still there, and still there .. then she did her little Emilything. She stuck out her neck and moved into her little turbodrive. It's not a major turbodrive, but when everybody is flat out, Emily just 'gives' that little extra ..
Past the leaders she plowed ... and hit the front in sight of the line ...
I didn't know. I couldn't see my eggie in the mass of horses ... I just knew she was in there somewhere. And a stentorian bass voice echoed across the track EM-I-LY! The commentator told me later that he heard me. Hehe. What an operatic training does for a bloke ...
The swoopers were coming ... but so was the post ... she stuck out her neck one last time, as the favourite came flying down the outside, bludgeoning itself clear from an impossible position..
We got nabbed. I remember seeing that Ti Amo Belle (what an odd mixture of languages!) had got up, but where were we? Well, we were second. And I was thrilled. No, I wasn't disappointed, at all, at not winning. I would have been delighted with third. Or fourth. But the best bit was how she stuck that wee neck out ...
We have a racehorse. We shall have fun over the winter ...
Safely home, with a nice bottle of Teacher's to hand ... time to watch the video a few times. You do see more clearly on the video, but nothing beats the atmosphere at Rangiora racecourse ... I've had some joyous times there, real racing instead of the plastic 21st century Addington variety, and this day was one of the most joyous ...
And loads of old and a few new friends to share it with ...
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