Harness Driver

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MOONBI MARVEL DEAN CHAPPLE IS COMING UP 750 WINS AND STILL COUNTING

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MOONBI MARVEL DEAN CHAPPLE IS COMING UP 750 WINS AND STILL COUNTING

There was one heart stopping incident in the mid seventies which could have halted Dean Chapple’s love affair with harness racing before it got off the ground.

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BRAD ELDER’S SIZZLING SEVEN IN TWO DAYS

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BRAD ELDER’S SIZZLING SEVEN IN TWO DAYS

Australian harness racing currently boasts a plethora of talented drivers in the 20-25 age bracket. Those who appear regularly on metropolitan tracks enjoy the bulk of available media attention.

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PENRITH EXCURSION PAYS OFF FOR DARREN HANCOCK

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PENRITH EXCURSION PAYS OFF FOR DARREN HANCOCK

There’s no better pointer for punters than a Darren Hancock trained horse turning up at Penrith. The leading horseman has been an unabashed fan of the 1400m Menangle circuit since its inception in 2008

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SEAN GRAYLING MAKES A STATEMENT AT MENANGLE

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SEAN GRAYLING MAKES A STATEMENT AT MENANGLE

Sean Grayling is emerging as a pretty serious race driver, and he appears to have a good handle on the art of training a harness horse.

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HARNESS RACING WAS ALWAYS AMY DAY’S CHOSEN PATH

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HARNESS RACING WAS ALWAYS AMY DAY’S CHOSEN PATH

In the days when I was getting to the trots on a regular basis, Amy Day was one of my favourite people. The petite blonde daughter of Neil and Vicki Day was at the mercy of genetic forces from the time of her birth thirty two years ago.

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IT TOOK A FREAK ACCIDENT TO BRING GAVIN FITZPATRICK TO HIS KNEES

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IT TOOK A FREAK ACCIDENT TO BRING GAVIN FITZPATRICK TO HIS KNEES

“The only certainty about luck is that it will change” - a quote attributable to nineteenth century American short story writer Bret Harte. Gavin Fitzpatrick isn’t into philosophical quotes but he’ll relate to this one.

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GRAEME WATTS GAVE IN TO THE POWER OF GENETICS!

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GRAEME WATTS GAVE IN TO THE POWER OF GENETICS!

It’s widely accepted that the offspring of harness horsemen and women are apt to follow their parents into the sport. Many prominent trotting trainers and drivers around Australia are third and fourth generation devotees of the standardbred.

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A WEALTH OF TROTTING TALENT

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A WEALTH OF TROTTING TALENT

A galaxy of star trotting horsemen assembled for this photo in the Penrith Paceway Function Centre at the end of the 1976/1977 racing season - a season which marked two significant milestones in the remarkable career of P.J. “Perc.” Hall.

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BILL ELLIS OAM HAS WORN MANY HATS DURING HIS JOURNEY IN HARNESS RACING

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BILL ELLIS OAM HAS WORN MANY HATS DURING HIS JOURNEY IN HARNESS RACING

Teenagers in the 1950’s were no different to their modern day counterparts when it came to planning their futures. Bill Ellis was a student at Sydney’s historic Fort Street High School around 1956 and had given very little thought to his likely future.

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TV TROTS LURED JIM DOUGLASS TO THE SULKY

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TV TROTS LURED JIM DOUGLASS TO THE SULKY

To see Jim Douglass in action on a busy night at the trots is a sight to behold. For best effect you need to watch him on those occasions when his boss Ian Wilson has four or five runners engaged.

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JACK TRAINOR TRAINS HIS FIRST WINNER BUT GIVES UP THE DRIVE

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JACK TRAINOR TRAINS HIS FIRST WINNER BUT GIVES UP THE DRIVE

Jack Trainor didn’t expect to have two runners in the same race just five weeks into his professional training career. Even more bizarre was the fact that he has only four horses in work at his Menangle base.

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ROSS AND HIS STAR FILLY GET READY FOR A SPRING CAMPAIGN

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ROSS AND HIS STAR FILLY GET READY FOR A SPRING CAMPAIGN

Ross Adams has been walking with a spring in his step over the last few weeks and the reason isn’t hard to fathom. The veteran trainer is understandably excited about the return of his star filly Vincenzina following her winter spell - in fact she’ll be at the Menangle trials as this story goes onto the website.

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TUESDAY IS NORM AND TOOTSIE’S DAY OUT

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TUESDAY IS NORM AND TOOTSIE’S DAY OUT

It’s a very rare Tuesday afternoon when Norm Warland and his evergreen mare Just Tootsie aren’t spotted in the float parking area at Club Menangle. Norm has only a twenty minute trip to the track from his Douglas Park property. You’ll never see him with a helper. Just Norm and Tootsie.

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FAREWELL TO GAVIN LANG - THE BEST OF THE BEST!

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FAREWELL TO GAVIN LANG - THE BEST OF THE BEST!

Drawing a comparison between Gavin Lang and Michelangelo may seem a fanciful proposition. Not so when you analyse the words of a 16th century biographer who completed his work on Michelangelo, while the Renaissance genius was still alive.

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BLAKE HUGHES - COALFIELDS TEENAGER HAS THE BALL AT HIS FEET

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BLAKE HUGHES - COALFIELDS TEENAGER HAS THE BALL AT HIS FEET

Most busy jockeys and harness racing drivers are confidence players. A win early in the programme can set their mood for the rest of the card. It seems a disappointing start makes no difference to the mindset of young Hunter Valley trots driver Blake Hughes.