Harness Racing NSW

, , , , ,

THIS VIDEO MAY TEMPT YOU TO BUY A TROTTER

, , , , ,
THIS VIDEO MAY TEMPT YOU TO BUY A TROTTER

You’ll be hard pressed to find a horseman who isn’t enamoured of the sight of a talented trotter in full flight. Power Productions have kindly allowed me access to a video production highlighting the poetry of the trotting horse and the devotion of those who train them.

, , , ,

HONDO GRATTAN SPARKED WAYNE DIMECH’S SLIDING DOORS MOMENT

, , , ,
HONDO GRATTAN SPARKED WAYNE DIMECH’S SLIDING DOORS MOMENT

Wayne Dimech was in his mid-teens when Hondo Grattan was dominating the harness racing headlines in the early 1970’s. He had obviously inherited the harness racing genes from his Maltese forebears.

, , , ,

PENRITH EXCURSION PAYS OFF FOR DARREN HANCOCK

, , , ,
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

, , , , ,

HARNESS RACING NEEDS PEOPLE LIKE LAURENCE DAWSON

, , , , ,
HARNESS RACING NEEDS PEOPLE LIKE LAURENCE DAWSON

Laurence Dawson is one of many young horsemen who’ve worked hard to carve themselves a niche in harness racing rather than turn their backs on a sport they’ve grown to love.

, , , , ,

NSW HARNESS HIGHLIGHTS 2022

, , , , ,
NSW HARNESS HIGHLIGHTS 2022

We’d like to share with you a snappy HRNSW promotional video featuring the highlights of the sport in the first half of the current season. This video was produced by Power Productions.

, , , , , ,

A TRIBUTE TO A TRUE GENTLEMAN OF HARNESS RACING. BILL HANSELL 1932-2022.

, , , , , ,
A TRIBUTE TO A TRUE GENTLEMAN OF HARNESS RACING. BILL HANSELL 1932-2022.

Bill Hansell’s career in harness racing had just begun when the dual Academy Award winning movie “The Quiet Man” was released in 1952. The title of the famous John Wayne classic best describes the persona of Bill Hansell.

, , , , , , ,

THERE’S ONLY ONE CORRECT HOPPLE LENGTH

, , , , , , ,
THERE’S ONLY ONE CORRECT HOPPLE LENGTH

Stumbled upon this photo of a pacer called Pick On (Percy Hall) winning a qualifying heat of the 1952 Inter Dominion Championship at Harold Park. Note the “snug” hopple length on a horse who stood close to 17 hands.

, , , , ,

THINGS WILL NEVER BE QUITE THE SAME AT THE LAGOON. TONY TURNBULL 1930-2021

, , , , ,
THINGS WILL NEVER BE QUITE THE SAME AT THE LAGOON. TONY TURNBULL 1930-2021

To family and friends Tony Turnbull always seemed indestructible. On non race days during his training career, he’d work from dawn to dusk before trying to catch up on badly needed sleep.

, , , ,

TONY HIGGS IS STILL ON CLOUD NINE AFTER PINK BONNET TRIUMPH!

, , , ,
TONY HIGGS IS STILL ON CLOUD NINE AFTER PINK BONNET TRIUMPH!

Every now and again fate produces a result in the racing codes that inspires the little man to keep trying. Such a fairy tale moment occurred at Menangle on Saturday night when Silk Cloud totally outclassed a handy bunch of juvenile fillies in the Fran Fitzpatrick Cheryl McDowell Pink Bonnet.

, , , , ,

TV TROTS LURED JIM DOUGLASS TO THE SULKY

, , , , ,
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.

, , , , ,

JACK TRAINOR TRAINS HIS FIRST WINNER BUT GIVES UP THE DRIVE

, , , , ,
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.

, , , , ,

THE HART SIBLINGS ARE HARNESS RACING BLUE BLOODS

, , , , ,
THE HART SIBLINGS ARE HARNESS RACING BLUE BLOODS

Genetics can be an unpredictable study but they ran true to form in the case of siblings Ashley and Cameron Hart. The brother and sister duo are the only children of Mark and Michelle Hart and grew up in the Riverina township of Junee, a veritable harness racing stronghold.

, , , , ,

TUESDAY IS NORM AND TOOTSIE’S DAY OUT

, , , , ,
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.

, , , ,

COLIN WATTS OAM - HARNESS RACING HAS NEVER HAD A BETTER FRIEND

, , , ,
COLIN WATTS OAM - HARNESS RACING HAS NEVER HAD A BETTER FRIEND

This might seem like a long winded way to highlight the kindly nature of Colin Watts, but the story is well worth the telling. In the week leading up to Easter of 1988 or 1989 I got a phone call from a distraught Tracy Grimshaw, the seemingly ageless host of the Nine Network’s “A Current Affair”.

, , , , ,

FAREWELL TO GAVIN LANG - THE BEST OF THE BEST!

, , , , ,
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.

, , , , ,

BLAKE HUGHES - COALFIELDS TEENAGER HAS THE BALL AT HIS FEET

, , , , ,
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.

, , , ,

STEPHANIE SIZZLES TO FIRST METRO WIN

, , , ,
STEPHANIE SIZZLES TO FIRST METRO WIN

Stephanie Lippiatt couldn’t believe it had finally happened as she took Catch A Moment onto the track for the Schweppes Lady Drivers Invitational on Saturday night.

, , , , , , ,

HALWES WAS ONE OF THE BEST HORSES NEVER TO WIN AN INTER DOMINION

, , , , , , ,
HALWES WAS ONE OF THE BEST HORSES NEVER TO WIN AN INTER DOMINION

When it comes to horses I’m a hopeless sentimentalist. I had the pleasure of calling Halwes in all of his Harold Park wins in the late 1960’s and he left an indelible impression on me. He was a horse of high speed, great reserves of stamina and a terrific will to win.

, , , ,

TONY TURNBULL OAM TURNS 90!

, , , ,
TONY TURNBULL OAM TURNS 90!

The Bathurst Harness Racing Club hosted a magnificent birthday bash on Sunday for one of its favourite sons. Family and friends gathered to honour the legendary A.D. “Tony” Turnbull on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

, , , , ,

THIS BEETSON IS NO PIE EATER - ARTIE’S STILL GOING STRONG IN HIS TWELFTH YEAR

, , , , ,
THIS BEETSON IS NO PIE EATER - ARTIE’S STILL GOING STRONG IN HIS TWELFTH YEAR

When veteran pacer Beetson stepped onto the track at Bathurst a week before Christmas, trainer Peter Trevor-Jones wasn’t aware his ageless warrior was about to race for the 200th time.