Green with three red bandsseb moulton, s moulton, bendigo harness racing club, bhrc, bendigo, horses, race colours, trotting, pacing, harness racing, tamboritha

Gordon Rothacker died in 2010 at the age of 81. Harness Racing Victoria's (HRV) highest individual award, the Gordon Rothacker Medal, is named in his honour. Rothacker won a record 14 Melbourne drivers' premierships between 1949 and 1973 as well as capturing 10 Melbourne trainers' premierships between 1953 and 1976. He was the first reinsman to land 500 winners on Melbourne tracks, doing so at Moonee Valley in 1987 some 39 years after driving his first winner at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds as an 18-year-old in the inaugural season of night trotting. Awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday honours of 1972 for his services to trotting, Rothacker was the Caduceus Club's first living legend when inducted in 1995 and has also been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by HRV. He won numerous feature races with the likes of Angelique, Rhett, Gallagher and Raiarmagh Pool and also represented Australia in the second World Drivers' Championship in 1971 in the US and Canada.Red with blue Vrothacker, trotting, gallagher, angelique, showgrounds, premiership, rothacker medal, g rothacker, gordon rothacker, gw rothacker

John Phyland It was during 1890 to 1918 that John Phyland, son of Irish immigrants, born in 1866, ran a 2000-acre sheep station. The property, Lake Vale, was south of Balranald, towards the Murray River town of Swan Hill. This would seem to be an unlikely location for a harness racing breeding operation, being more than 400km from Melbourne, where harness racing was centred on the Richmond track. But, undeterred by distance, Phyland purchased his first trotter in 1882 and proceeded to acquire expensive, high quality standardbred mares and stallions and embark on a venture that saw him: • Breed and race winners of major races including The Melbourne Thousand, Bendigo JC Handicap (raced almost continuously on the grass track at Epsom, Bendigo, from 1867 to 1946), Boort Cup and numerous races at the Melbourne metropolitan tracks at Richmond and Ascot; • Acquire Soultline Villa and training stables adjacent to the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds so he could race at metropolitan tracks; • Develop a large self-contained training facility (including resident blacksmith) and home at 19 Raleigh St, Essendon; • Become the chair of the Victorian Trotting Horse Owners and Breeders’ Association, which lobbied strenuously for night trotting in the 1930s; • Breed from imported and locally bred mares that left families that are still active today. Heaven Rocks, the Ballarat Cup, New Zealand Jewels three and four-year-winner, and 1:49.6 ($554,529) export to the US, is six generations on from the Phyland bred mare Dusky Ribbons; • Saw the start of the training career of colourful and controversial Cedric (Ced) McLean, Phyland’s son-in-law, with a mare left when Phyland died.Blue with yellow starsbalranald, trotting, phyland, richmond trotting

KEVIN ‘BOOFA’ INNES By Lucy McCormick Kevin was a member of the celebrated Innes clan from Inglewood, in Central Victoria. “I think the first Innes’ came to Inglewood in 1851. My daughter used to say she can’t marry anyone from Inglewood, because she’s related to them all,” says Kevin. ‘Boofa’ is enjoying some well-earned relaxation on the couch after breaking a kneecap six or seven months ago in a track work incident. Not that it seems to be bothering him too much; he’s got plenty of time to keep up with the trots on television. “I do follow them,” Kevin says. “I don’t miss many, and I do have a bet. I like to sit in the chair and drive a race as much as anyone.” With an illustrious career both as a trainer and in the sulky, it’s a safe bet that Kevin Innes is a more than handy ‘grandstand driver’. His name is associated as a trainer/driver with many handy horses, including Lea Sands, Imatoff and Stormy Morn to name a few. Kevin is typically circumspect about his bigger triumphs, however that doesn’t seem to be what interests him the most. “I’ll tell you something,” he declares, doing just that, “I like winning with the horses that were no good. Some people never get a good horse. Imagine that. Luck is a very, very important thing. You have to have luck to buy a good horse at the sales, to get it going, keep it sound, find a race for it, find and owner and get a draw. And they still make a liar of you.” Funny, interesting or quirky stories seem to be of greater interest to Kevin, such as the time he had a strong chance in a standing start race – the favourite in the race being his only worry. “I told the owner it only had a 20-metre handicap – I couldn’t beat it off that,” he remembers. “So I was leading, waiting for the favourite to run past me. Toward the finish, I heard it coming, and it ran straight past all right – minus the driver. He’d fallen out of the cart and I won the race. Just lucky.” The Innes family have always been heavily involved in one sporting pursuit or another – Kevin himself being a champion bike rider of his time. “My Uncle Roy was a good bike rider, so he dared me to have a go. It turned out I was quite good at it as well.” So good, in fact that for many years Kevin was able to make a living from bike riding, riding the ‘board track’ for many years. “We trained hard. Bike riding was very big back then, we’d train and ride three or four times a week.” Kevin’s riding career spanned four Herald Sun Tours, a Warrnambool to Melbourne and a Sydney to Melbourne race, to name a few. “It definitely gets you in – it was long hours,” he muses. “But like anything, horse racing included, you only get back what you put in. We trained hard. I never drank, and I still don’t. I’ve seen that many athletes, great ones too, brought down by alcohol.” Lucky with injury too, Kevin can only remember a sore ankle – as well as the requisite scrapes and abrasions from tumbles on the wooden boards of the velodromes. He still enjoys watching all the big bike races when he can. “You can watch them race all over the world – France, Sweden, Germany. “To be honest I sit up and watch them with my son and we get just as much of a kick looking at the countryside than anything else. It’s so different to when I was racing.” Betting on the bike racing was big in Kevin’s day as well, and some of the bookies Kevin saw betting on the bike racing, he saw at the Showgrounds betting on the trots on a Friday or Saturday night. “Racing was different back then. There would be twelve thousand people at the showgrounds – they don’t have to come anymore, it’s just as easy to watch it on the TV.” Kevin remembers in those days that drivers had to ‘weigh in’ as well – everyone who drove needed to weigh ten stone (just under 65 kilograms). It’s something he remembers fondly. “I know not everyone will.” Kevin won’t be drawn on the subject of favourite drivers, either. “Look. Driving is different now. No disrespect to current drivers, but you had to think a lot more on a three furlong track than they do now on the bigger tracks. You had to drive with brains. And I really believe that good horses make good drivers. The horses are very good these days. Today’s drivers – your Gavin Langs, Chris Alfords – they’re thinkers, and brains will beat brawn every time. The girls are just as good now too. You only have to look at Kerryn Manning.” A garrulous and popular character, Kevin has trained horses for the likes of legendary Richmond player Jack Dyer, and also spent his fair share of time hosting sportsman’s nights, holding his own with the likes of Ron Barassi. On one such night, they had flown in a light aircraft to their destination. During their show, Kevin noticed their pilot, sitting in the front row, laughing appreciatively. There was one problem. He had a beer in his hand, and was consuming it with some enthusiasm. As the night wore on, the pilot became more and more inebriated, and Kevin became more and more disturbed, knowing that this was the same pilot who was to fly them home when they finished. Unbeknownst to Kevin, however, the flight had been cancelled and the pilot hadn’t told anyone, instead deciding to take full advantage of his client’s hospitality. For now, Kevin is happy living in Inglewood with partner Barbara. Son Grant and daughter Carla aren’t far away (both work at the Bendigo Harness track, and Carla has held both a trainer and driver’s licence). His granddaughter, Barclay Sands, was born on the same day of the demise of their star performer, Lea Sands, and may give the biggest hint yet just how important the world of harness racing is to Kevin ‘Boofa’ Innes. Blue with white yolkKevin Innes embroidered on left side chestkevin innes, k innes, bendigo harness racing club, bhrc, bendigo, horses, race colours, trotting, pacing, harness racing

Eric Rothacker from Bridgewater, represented Australia at the 1964 World Amateur Trotting Drivers championships in Italyworld champion, amateur trotting drivers, eric rothacker, italy

The race colours of the Hall of Fame trotter Maoris Idol. Trained at Marnoo in Victoria's Wimmera by Rick Healy, and driven in all his races by his son Bryan. Maori's Idol (September 1972 – 20 October 2006) was an Australian Standardbred racehorse. He was the first Australian trotter to break two minutes with a time of 1:59.3 on 19 November 1977 at Moonee Valley. Maori's Idol became one of Australia's greatest trotters, with a record 24 successive race victories before placing third in the 1978 Melbourne Inter-Dominion Final. He is still the trotting record holder with 22 wins in a season.He was so superior to his rivals that he may have gone through his career unbeaten had he been placed to advantage by his connections. He was by Ike Frost US (by Adios) his dam was Maori Miss by Grand Monarch. Maori Miss won a heat of the 1966 Inter DominionTrotting Championship and was selected as the Australian Broodmare of the Year in 1977, 1978 and 1979. Maori's Idol older half-brother Maori Monarch won the Victoria Trotters Derby and the Australasian Trotting Championship. Maori Miss has founded a very successful family of her own and is the third dam of Sumthingaboutmaori.bryan healy, ric healy, r healy, maori's idol, bendigo harness racing club, bhrc, bendigo, horses, race colours, trophies, trotting, pacing, harness racing, br healy, b healy, r mcd healy

Jack Moore, Maryborough trainer-driver won the first Bendigo Pacing Cup with Kalama's Peak. Among the top class horses that he trained was Richmond Lass who won 35 races and went on to win the 1969 Inter Dominion Pacing Championship. The horse was owned by Fred Miller, from Richmond House, Bung Bong, Victoria and driven by "respected local horseman Jack Moore.Light blue with red starbendigo harness racing club, bhrc, bendigo, horses, race colours, trotting, pacing, harness racing, jack moore, j moore, jp moore

Large hand colour photograph depicting a driver on his sulky and horse.New Derby / Globe Derby New - Zealand Greta / Owner L. King - Trainer and Driver C. Robertson Jnr / Winner of Ascot £500 Trot 1932trotting, new derby, boort, jack king, globe derby, new zealand greta, ascot, 1932, charlie robertson jnr, c robertson jnr, charlie robertson, c robertson

Large rectangular black and white harness racing photo finish mounted on white paper and framed in a thin wooden frame (probably remounted and reframed)Bottom centered in black ink: Richmond 3/11/1919 / Ladies Bracelet / Won by "Akeley" At the back stamp in blue ink: BG / Bethany Gallery / 116 Bridge Street, Bendigo, Vic 3550/ Ph: (054) 42 4771 Fax: (054) 42 3480trotting, richmond, akeley, ladies bracelet, joe hillier, 1919, harness racing

trotting, richmond, vic dullard, joe hillier, meadow lark, shepparton, 25/2/1929

Fair Admiral won Vic.Trotters DerbyWooden framed race finish photoAscot 23/9/1935, Progressive Handicap (Trotters Div), Won by Fair Admiral, Owner and Trainer, C Robertson Snr, Driver C Robertson Jnrtrotting, fair admiral, ascot, c robertson, 23/9/1935, charlie robertson, c robertson jnr, charlie robertson jnr

The original lithograph by American artist John Cameron was published by Currier & Ives around 1891.Large monochrome print in guild framed reproduction of John Cameron artwork depicting a harness racing finish in America.A Fair Field and No Favorgraydon, trotting, historic print, america, john cameron

Tom Beecham (1926-2000) was an American painter and illustrator known for his scenes of wildlife. Large gilt framed monochrome print of trotting horses.Flora Temple, A Brush on a Country Lanetrotting, flora temple, historic print, tom beecham

Richmond ThousandLarge rectangular colour harness race photo finish in gold frame.Richmond 4/11/1929, Trotting £1000, Won by Diana Wood. Owner and trainer G Daniel. Driver owner. Distance 1 1/2 miles. Time 3 mins, 28 sec. Winners Rate 2 min 18 2/3 sec.diana wood, george daniel, richmond thousand, trotting, 1929, g daniel

Gold framed, glass covered, Trotting race finish photoRichmond 5/11/1928,Trotting £1000, Won by Percy Direct, Owner W.Hyatt, Trainer Driver "D.George" (G.Daniel). Distance 1 1/2 miles, Time 3 min. 27 3/4 sec, Winners to the mile 2 mins 18 1/2 sec.trotting, richmond, thousand, george daniel, wally hyatt, percy direct, harness racing, 1928, g daniel