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Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race colours, George Daniel
... harness racing colours... Historical Historic wins george daniel harness racing colours diana ...HistoricalHistoric winsBlack with red hoopsgeorge daniel, harness racing colours, diana wood percy direct 1928-29, ascot vale, trotting, pacing, richmond -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race Colours, Bob Conroy
... racing colours... colours trotting pacing harness racing bob conroy r conroy ...Bob Conroy died on Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at age 88. The Daylesford trainer and brilliant horseman enjoyed a life dedicated to harness racing, which he shared with his wife Pat and their five children, including Glenn, Anne-Maree and Peter, who themselves have combined to drive more than 800 winners. Renowned as an outstanding trainer of trotters, Conroy spent a life training from Daylesford, having been raised in nearby Korweinguboora before occupying the former Daylesford Trotting Club track, from where he would often venture into neighbouring Hepburn Regional Park to educate his horses. A trots trainer, driver and breeder, Mr Conroy’s training successes include Mary Beverley’s win in the 1973 V. L. Dullard Cup, Lincoln Star's win in the 1978 Bendigo Pacing Cup and 1978 Italian Cup, and the Lightfoot Laurels on four occasions (Lucy Lastic 1997, Miss Universe 1999 and 2001 and False Gem on 2008). His greatest stakes win came when Amazon captured the $30,000 Australasian Trotters Championship final in 1984 and then the same year the E B Cochran Memorial Trotters Cup, while notable triumphs also include Mister Everest in the 1990 Chris E Howe Trotters Cup, two Central Victorian Trotting Championships in 1991 (Omaorio) and 2005 (Sutters Glory), the 1996 Coulter Crown with Lucy Lastic, First Signal's win in the 1999 Cranbourne Trotters Cup and then the R C Freestone Trotters Cup with Miss Universe. Other notable performers he trained throughout his distinguished career included multiple metropolitan winners King’s Pride, Eden’s Return, Magic Madge, Minnesota Fats, Hot And Dry, Kyvalley Duke, Speeding Fine, Baltic Prince and Looks Like Me. Bob Conroy’s trotters Bootleg Bert and Margaret Ruth delivered his last trotting wins. Yellow with black Vrb conroy, lincoln star, amazon, bendigo harness racing club, bhrc, bendigo, horses, racing colours, trotting, pacing, harness racing, bob conroy, r conroy -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race colours, Peter Ward
... harness racing club harness racing horses race colours ...Race winning colours Bendigo Cup, Empire fella 1990, Driver Peter Ward,Bendigo pacing Cup 1990,Race colours, Pink with black bandtrotting, peter ward, bendigo, pacing cup, 1990, p ward, empire fella, pacing, bhrc, bendigo harness racing club, harness racing, horses, race colours -
Warrnambool and District Historical Society Inc.
Book, Odhams Press Ltd, The story of 25 Eventful years in Pictures, early 20th century
A collection of photographs of events of the years from 1911 to 1935. It shows many world wide events such as events around Worls War 1,sports events such as horse racing and cricket,scouting, flights over Mt Everest, fashion the fall of the tzars in Russia and other world events such as the vote for women. . It is mainly a British perspective with a number of items relating to the royal family and British politics of the time.This book has historical and social significance as it records in photographs many events which occurred in a very turbulent period of world history. While it has no direct link to Warrnambool it would have been of general interest to local people.Blue cover with silver print on front cover and spine. Front cover has embossing in a floral pattern.Inside front and back covers the paper is patterned in silver and blue with crowns and flags.512 pages with mainly photographs in sepia colours.the story of 25 eventful years in pictures, -
Warrnambool and District Historical Society Inc.
Jockey Silk Cap, Mid 20th century
This cap was probably used during horse training rather than in competition racing. The owner, D. Bartlett, has not been identified but the family of Olive Bartlett, the donor, was involved in the horse-racing industry and it is presumed that the owner was a family member. This cap is retained for display purposes. Horse racing events , especially the May Racing Carnival, are important in Warrnambool. This is a cotton cap with a soft crown in black and red colours divided into six segments. There is a black button on top of the crown. The peak is covered with stiffened black material with a black bow. Inside the cap there is an orange-coloured rayon lining and the name of the owner.‘D. Bartlett’horse racing in warrnambool, history of warrnambool -
Warrnambool and District Historical Society Inc.
Badges (2), 1 Stokes, 1960s
These two badges came from the estate of Dorothy and Agnes Ardlie of Warrnambool. Dorothy Ardlie (1910-1993) and Agnes Ardlie (1915-1993) were the daughters of Arthur and Ethel Ardlie of Warrnambool, the granddaughters of the prominent Warrnambool lawyer, William Ardlie and his wife Mary and the great granddaughters of John and Mary Ardlie, pioneer settlers in Warrnambool. The badges appear to have belonged to Agnes Ardlie who was known to have been a keen sportswoman. The Warrnambool Racing Club was founded in the 1870s and annually produced badges for members, both men and women. Female membership of the Warrnambool Golf Club was well established by 1890 and the course then was in Albert Park. These two badges are of interest as having local provenance, belonging to a member or members of a prominent family in Warrnambool in the mid 20th century..1 This is a metal badge in an elliptical shape with gold edging. The image on the badge shows a horse and jockey clearing a hurdle with wording around the image. The colours used are blue, red, gold and green. The badge has a metal clip at the top with a blue cord attached. The back of the badge has wording imprinted on it. .2 This is an oval-shaped metal badge with an image of two golf clubs in blue and gold and the word ‘Associates’ in gold and green. On the back is a metal clip and some hand writing scratched on. The maker’s name cannot be deciphered. .1 Warrnambool Racing Club Not Transferable Season 1965-66 9 Stokes .2 Warrnambool G.C. Associates Ardlie A.A. ardlie family, history of warrnambool -
Kew Historical Society Inc
Headwear - Green & Brown Silk 'Cloche' Hat, Anne Harrison of Kew, 1950s
Marion 'Annie' (Cooper) Harrison, a milliner by trade, designed and made women’s hats, initially in the 1940s in High Street, and later in the 1950s and 60s at 5 Princess Street. The hats were constructed upstairs in her shop in Princes Street while the ground floor was reserved for sales and display. She employed other milliners to assist but always ran the showroom herself. Hectic periods were in the weeks before the big racing carnivals when the many wealthy race-goers of Kew kept her busy. She typically walked to her business as she and her husband, Fred Harrison, lived locally. Annie died in April 2016, at the great age of 107 years. Her hats are held in local and national collections.The Kew Historical Society’s fashion and design collection is comprised of costumes, hats, shoes and personal accessories. Many of these items were purchased or handmade in Victoria; some locally in Kew. The extensive hat collection comprises items dating from the 1860s to the 1970s. While most of the hats in the collection were created by milliners for women, there are a number of early and important men’s hats in the collection. The headwear collection is particularly significant in that it includes the work of notable Australian and international milliners.Pale green silk woman’s hat in a soft unstructured style retailed by Anne Harrison of Kew. The hat is banded with braid in contrasting colours. It has a soft bow at the rear.Label: Anne Harrison of Kew. WM 9906anne harrison, milliners - kew (vic), women's clothing -- hats -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race colours, Ken Pocock
Ken Pocock won the 1976 Bendigo Cup. with Chapel Elect A broken leg suffered by Golden Square footballer Ken Pocock, while training with VFL team Collingwood, saw the end of a promising football career, but the start of a highly successful career in harness racing. Ken first worked in Bendigo as a horse and cart delivery driver for Symons dairy and Jeffreys bakery. He learned his craft by working with harness horses for veteran trainers Alf Petherick (Glideaway) and Clarrie Long (Great Dalla). Early in his career Ken had Kaye Lois, and the 1965 Moomba Cup and prolific winner Fosmar. He trained and drove standouts including: Peparkee, Chief Invader (1972 Shepparton Gold Cup) Chapel Elect (Melbourne Pacing Cup, Bendigo Cup), Go Van (Ouyen and 3KZ Cups), Game Oro (two Shepparton and two Kilmore Cups). The champion pacer Royal Gaze won 49 races, 17 seconds, 11 thirds including the Shepparton, Ballarat, Ouyen and A G Hunter Cups. Royal Gaze raced in 3 successive Inter Dominion series, winning 5 heats, and finishing third in Perth in 1974. Ken was also a highly skilled stud-master. He was involved in the planning and building of the ambitious harness racing property B J Lodge at Goornong, and travelled to the USA in the early 1970s with B J Lodge owner Bernie Ahern where they selected and bought champion US pacers Kentucky and Hilarious Way and stood them at stud. Ken Pocock won the 1976 Bendigo Cup driving Chapel ElectBlue with yellow arm bandsbendigo harness racing club, bhrc, bendigo, bendigo cup, race colours, chapel elect, royal gaze, fosmar, trotting, pacing, k pocock, ke pocock, ken pocock -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race colours, Boris Devcic
... bendigo horses race colours trotting pacing harness racing ...Yellow race colours with white sash and red sleevesBiris Devcic embossed left chestboris devcic, b devcic, aim first, bendigo harness racing club, bhrc, bendigo, horses, race colours, trotting, pacing, harness racing -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race colours, Keith Raw, 2013
Keith Raw, Opal Chief champion 2yo 1960s,AlipesPrimary historicalPink, Purple sleevesbendigo, bhrc, opalchief, alipes, trotting, pacing, race colours, keith raw, ke raw, k raw -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race Colours, Phonse Hickey, 2013
Primary historicalWhite, green sleeves, green shamrockbendigo, bhrc, trotting, pacing, race colours, phonse hickey, payload, hunter cup 1959, bendigo pacing cup -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race colours, Ron Pocock, 2015
Contextual historical, Ron Pocock breeder and initial trainer of Jasmarilla andTrue Roman among many.Red and white checks, white sleevesbendigo, bhrc, trotting, pacing, true roman, jasmarilla, ron pocock -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race colours, Brian Morse, 2015
Historical Contextual. Brian Morse, Albert Perry, Miss Raidal, Bendigo Cup 1971Historic, Bendigo Cup 1971Black, white diamond front and backalbert perry trainer, bendigo, bhrc, horses, trotting, pacing, miss raidal, bendigo cup, race colours, brian morse driver, b morse, brian morse -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race colours, Bruce Coram
Bruce Coram, drove Sweet Trip to win the 1966 Bendigo Cup.Primary historical. Bendigo Pacing Cup 1966, Bruce CoramYellow with 2 blue diamondsbruce coram, sweet trip, bendigo cup 1966, bendigo, horses, pacing, trotting, bhrc, race colours, drivers, bk coram -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race colours, Jack Hargreaves, 13/8/21
Jack Hargreaves drove Adaptor to win the 1969 Bendigo Cup. Jack Hargreaves, who died on December 6 at the Bendigo Hospital aged 77, trained and drove countless winners during a 34-year harness racing career in which he became one of the true icons of the sport. Born John Henry Hargreaves in Wedderburn on December 3, 1926, harness racing was always in his blood. His father, Hughie, was a successful driver and trainer who raced horses all over Victoria. Jack drove his first winner at the age of 16 at Woodend. He lived on the family farm at Kuracca, near Wedderburn, until the age of 22, when he then married Elvie Stephenson from Fentons Creek. He and Elvie went on to have four children - Helen (now 53), Judi (51), Roslyn (49) and John (45). They are grandparents of 15 and great-grandparents of two. After spending two years at Tallarook where he worked on a sheep property, Jack and Elvie then moved to Korong Vale, where Jack set up his own training stable. He kept about 20 horses at a time at his Korong Vale stable, training and racing all of them for 26 years at his property. His greatest moment was the 1969 Miracle Mile, when he drove Adaptor to victory. Adaptor would later be sold to America for the then highest figure paid for an export horse - about $250,000. He also notched up many wins in country pacing cups, including Bendigo, Geelong, Maryborough, Kilmore and St Arnaud. During his career, Jack built a reputation of being a fine judge of pace and he consistently brought out the best in some difficult horses. His natural ability led to him being crowned Bendigo's leading driver for the season on two occasions. But an accident at Mildura on November 26, 1976 - just days before his 50th birthday - led to his driving career being cut short prematurely. Jack sustained head injuries after he was trampled by another horse after being tipped out of his sulky while driving Go Ned. He was regaining his senses and sitting up in the middle of the track when the horse went straight over him. The hoof of the horse came down between his left ear and skullcap, shattering that part of his skull. In the weeks following the accident, Jack underwent lengthy operations in Melbourne, to firstly clear splinters of bone from his brain. He then had a piece of bone removed from one of his ribs to cover a hole in his skull. He was left with injuries that were described as being similar to those of a person who had suffered a stroke. Months of physiotherapy and speech therapy followed in Melbourne and later Bendigo, before he was finally allowed to go hone in August, 1977 - almost one year after the accident. After losing part of his speech in the accident, Jack learned to communicate using his hands. "It became second-nature to us that we could read his hand signals and most of the people in the harness racing world could, too," Jack's daughter, Judi Bond, said."He learned his own way to communicate with people."While Jack was no longer able to continue his passion of driving competitively, he would still take the reins at the training track when given a chance to by his fellow drivers.He also continued to breed horses. "He was a skilled horseman, a good farrier and horses were the love of his life," Judi said. Two years after the accident, Jack and Elvie built a house in Wedderburn, directly above the trotting track. "That was so in the early days after his accident he could still see what was going on at the track," Judi said. "Everyday, he would watch the trainers . . . he'd watch what they were up to on the track."Jack was able to sit in his loungeroom and look out through large glass doors with a "grandstand" view of Leg 5 races, trials and training at the trotting track. Jack's love of harness racing filtered through to his children, with both Judi and John having careers as drivers. Judi drove for 10 years, finishing in 1978, but she continues to breed horses. Judi won the first women's race where bets were allowed to be made when she drove Youdini to victory at the Melbourne Showgrounds track in 1974.Blue with yellow vertical panelbendigo cup, adaptor, horse, jack hargreaves, bhrc, bendigo harness racing club, lords raceway, j hargreaves -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race colours, Graeme Morgan
... bendigo harness racing club bhrc bendigo horses race colours ...Graeme Morgan wore these colours when driving Lord Muckalee to win the 1986 Bendigo Pacing Cup.White with brown diamonds, yellow sleevesgj morgan, graeme morgan, truant armagh, brad adios, lord muckalee, bendigo harness racing club, bhrc, bendigo, horses, race colours, trotting, pacing, harness racing -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race Colours, Des Ritchie
... colours harness racing ...Dark blue, red sleeves with blue armbandsdes ritchie, dr ritchie, dean's special, bendigo harness racing club, bhrc, bendigo, trotting, pacing, horses, race colours, harness racing -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race colours, Cliff Powell
Black with white spotsc powell, ch powell, cliff powell, taronga, derby royale -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race Colours, Graeme Johannesen
... harness racing club bhrc horses bendigo trotting race colours ...Grey, yellow hooped sleevesgraeme johannesen, g johannesen, true roman, bendigo harness racing club, bhrc, horses, bendigo, trotting, race colours, pacing, harness racing -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race Colours, Bill Minster
Red with black crossed sashes -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race colours, Don Dove
... bendigo horses race colours trotting pacing harness racing dv dove ...DON DOVE – 2016 Victorian Harness Racing Hall of Fame inductee A highly successful trainer-driver, Don Dove had something that most colleagues never had – his own sire. After making his mark early on as a driver, Don began training and driving the progeny of Dignus, a grand-son of Light Brigade he had purchased. Many of its 57 winners he trained and drove himself. The most memorable of these of course was his best-ever pacer, a 1966 colt he named Monara. It won successive A. G. Hunter Cups in 1973 and 74, and many other races – so often with this brilliant beginner going to the lead and then Don playing cat-and-mouse tactics out in front before dashing this son of Dignus away and holding off all comers. Those who may remember the 1972 Inter Dominion Final when Don was having a little holiday, will agree Monara was something beaten into second place that night. Don won many races on his brother Eric’s trotter Just Money, along with Nelson’s Report, Lauries Legacy and Kara Miss, and filled in well when winning the 1965 Warragul Cup driving the great little Macaree, and the 1967 Victoria Derby driving Kelly Kid. When the Victorian Trainers and Drivers Association formed in 1968, he was elected to its first committee. Don is also the father of Trevor and Stephen, both well known horsemen of a few seasons back. In retirement, Don Dove moved to Queensland in 1998 and it was there he passed away in 2014 at the age of 86.Yellow, with green crossed sashesdon dove, d dove, monara, amlin, bendigo harness racing club, bhrc, bendigo, horses, race colours, trotting, pacing, harness racing, dv dove -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race Colours, Charlie Robertson
Charlie Robertson Jnr. Charlie Robertson, a Boort district farmer and trainer-driver, won his first race driving a horse called Black Spot in 1912 when he was 16. He drove many winners in the 1920s and 1930s, some of them trained by his father Charles Snr who had raced horses from the 1890s. He had a top trotter in Fair Admiral, who won the 1929 Victoria Trotters Derby among other races. As his career flourished, Charlie Jnr won with such horses as Lee Voyage, Royal Bronte, Johnnie Bronte, Betty Direct, Bonnie Heather and Leading Style. He was given the Globe Derby stallion New Derby to train by owner Jack King of Quambatook. He travelled to Tasmania and Western Australia with New Derby. In Tasmania in 1935, New Derby won the Hobart and Launceston Cups and in WA in 1936 won two heats of the inaugural Inter Dominion. Among New Derby’s wins were the 1932 and 1933 Ascot £500. He left 147 winners when standing at stud at Quambatook. During World War II one of the few venues for harness racing was Wayville in Adelaide. During this period Charlie made many trips across the border to race. On the commencement of night trotting, Robertson won many at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds with Something New, Village Derby and Midnight News, New Gold, Canargo and Tennessee Derby. A bad race smash on Tennessee Derby nearly ended Charlie’s life, but he recovered. In the 1960s Charlie stood the stallion Convivial, who provided him with many winners. He retired from race driving aged 68 and died aged 87 after more than 60 years in trotting.Yellow with cream starscharlie robertson, c robertson, charlie robertson jnr, c robertson jnr -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race Colours, Mick Lombardo, Lombo Standadbreds
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Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race Colours, Don Ritchie
Brown with white band and white striped sleeves -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race Colours, Jim Brock
Black with red diamonds -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race colours, Seb Moulton
... bendigo horses race colours trotting pacing harness racing ...Green with three red bandsseb moulton, s moulton, bendigo harness racing club, bhrc, bendigo, horses, race colours, trotting, pacing, harness racing, tamboritha -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race Colours, Gordon Rothacker
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 -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race Colours, John Phyland and Ced McLean
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 -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race Colours, Les Pratt (Expo Stud)
Green with tartan braces -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race Colours, Kevin Innes
... bhrc bendigo horses race colours trotting pacing harness racing ...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