Six decades of devoted service to the harness racing industry was acknowledged last week when the remarkably versatile Bill Ellis was awarded the OAM in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours.
The announcement inspired the following story about a man who fell in love with harness horses the first time he saw them at the Royal Easter Show. They've been a large part of his life ever since.
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. He decided to look for a part time job during a school holiday break and was lucky to find a spot with Trotguide situated on the corner of Bridge Road and Ross Street Forest Lodge, a five iron from Harold Park Paceway.
The dedicated trotting publication was just ten years old at the time but already described by trotting devotees as the “bible” of the sport. For a time Trotguide was published bi-weekly and employed several journalists who would later make their marks with major newspapers. Long time subscribers had mixed feelings in 2019 when Trotguide went online after 73 years of publication.
“I lived with my parents and siblings in Annandale, and occasionally saw a harness horse jogging through the streets on its way to Harold Park,” recalled Bill. That was the sum total of my trotting experience. The prospect of some spare cash during the holidays appealed to me greatly. I did every odd job they asked me to do until it was time to go back to school.
“To this day I don’t know what Editor Bill Eacott saw in me. He called my parents and told them he thought I had the right attitude to pursue a full time career in racing journalism. With their encouragement I went to work full time for Trotguide and was given a cadetship.”
Bill Ellis in the Menangle press room shortly after joining the Daily Telegraph mid 1960s - courtesy Club Menangle.
Bill says the defining moment came when Bill Eacott sent him out to the Royal Easter Show where the spectacle of trotting on the tiny showground track was a great favourite with the crowds. Many of Sydney’s leading trainers were regulars at the show, enjoying a rare atmosphere and chasing some of the generous prize money on offer. Bill got to know many of the well known trainers and slowly became familiar with the unique jargon of the sport. He befriended a young horseman by the name of Cyril Caffyn, son of high profile trainer Jim Caffyn and already showing great promise in the sulky. Bill’s interest in the sport grew rapidly, and so did his friendship with Cyril Caffyn.
Young Ellis enjoyed his burgeoning role as a Trotguide journalist, and the ever increasing frequency of his trips to the many tracks which were operating around Sydney in the 50’s and 60’s. He was besotted with the sport and soaked up every atom of knowledge he could garner.
By now Bill had accepted Cyril’s invitation to spend his spare time at the Caffyn stables in Onslow Street Granville. Jim Caffyn prepared one of the biggest teams of harness horses to be found in Sydney and was held in high regard as a trainer and a race driver. Bill Ellis hung on every word at the Caffyn stables and it soon became obvious that the young journalist also had his share of natural ability.
Bill Ellis has always given credit to the NSW TAB for changing the course of his future. His work with Trotguide had brought him under the notice of the Daily Telegraph whose planners realised all three racing codes would need extended coverage when the off course betting giant swung into operation. Bill couldn’t believe his eyes when ushered into the office of newspaper legend David McNicoll for his job interview.
Just as Bill was wondering whether or not he had the job, a giant of a man came lurching into the office to see McNicoll. “Sir Frank I’d like you to meet our new trotting man Bill Ellis who’ll be joining the staff shortly,” was David McNicoll’s response to the barnstorming Packer entry.
With mixed feelings Bill walked out of the landmark Trotguide office for the last time. He quickly settled into his new environment, and just a couple of months later on December 16th 1964 to be exact, the face of Australian racing changed forever. The NSW TAB covered only two meetings on that historic opening day - the Canterbury gallops where a horse called Blitz won the first race, and the Menangle trots where First Storm became the first winner to pay an off course dividend.
Harness Racing commanded generous press space in the 60s and 70s. The above journalists all covered a Fairfield meeting in 1965. From left Bill Ellis, Des Corless, Bill Eacott, Pat McCabe, Pat Farrell, Bill Whittaker, and Harry Pearce. What a line up! - courtesy Club Menangle.
By the time of the Murdoch takeover of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph in 1973, Bill had been the resident trotting guru for nine years. He continued on right through to 2008 when he called time on his distinguished career. The respected journalist had given more than four decades of loyal service to his employers and to the industry he championed.
Despite the demands of his journalistic career, Bill Ellis found time to pursue his passion for the standardbred horse. He had become so adept in the sulky that Cyril Caffyn encouraged him to apply for a race driver’s licence. Weeks after gaining his accreditation Bill was entrusted by Caffyn with the drive on a pacer called Graham Laird at a Saturday afternoon meeting on the now defunct Richmond grass circuit.
“The date has stuck in my mind all these years,” said Bill. “It was October 4th,1969 and it was the day Darby McCarthy landed a Group 1 double at Randwick - Divide And Rule in the AJC Derby and Broker’s Tip in the Epsom. Everybody at Richmond trots was talking about it.
Many of the Richmond patrons were also talking about the well known journalist’s polished drive to get Graham Laird home at his first race drive. Runner up was Hal Dundee driven by veteran Wally Wood. “Cyril had told me he and a few mates were going to back Graham Laird, but I put that right out of my mind,” said Bill. “I got a hell of a shock later when I heard somebody had backed the horse from 8/1 to 6/4 in the days when the Richmond ring was pretty strong.”
Bill made his debut as a driver with a win on Graham Laird at Richmond 04/10/1969 - courtesy Club Menangle.
Bill fondly recalls that his wife Maureen was there on the day to offer encouragement even though in the advanced stages of pregnancy. The couple’s son Grant just scraped into 1969, arriving on New Year’s Eve. Grant and Jodie Ellis have subsequently presented Bill and Maureen with two delightful granddaughters Telia (11) and Liana (9).
For many years thereafter Bill hobby trained with great success, usually with only one horse in work. If he was spotted with a second one you could be assured it was worth the trouble. Perhaps his all time favourite was the prolific winner Winter, an aptly named son of the former brilliant racehorse Koala Frost. Ellis won a total of 19 races with Winter, driving him in the majority of those wins. “He was a lovely, genuine horse who gave me a great ride,” says Bill. “I’d like the experience all over again.”
The versatile Ellis has always regarded a Tatlow Stakes win at Harold Park with Winsome Star as his career highlight. He was given the Out To Win filly to train by a NZ friend and set her for the time honoured classic. He elected to hand the reins over to Cyril Caffyn on the night, but couldn’t have been more chuffed had he driven the filly himself. “That race was for colts, geldings and fillies but fillies struggled to win it,” he said. “Years later they were excluded altogether. I think the record books will testify that she’s the last filly to win the Tatlow.”
Bill regards his Tatlow Stakes win with Winsome Star as his career highlight. Cyril Caffyn did the driving and another prominent trainer John Mignemi acted as strapper - courtesy Club Menangle.
Bill pinpoints a semi final of the Galaxy Grandslam Series at Moonee Valley in 1981 as his greatest disappointment. He trained and drove Patrona Glow which overcame severe interference to finish a close second, reeling off some brilliant sectionals. He was already thinking of the final a week later, when a rival driver alerted him to the fact that Patrona Glow had bled during the race.
The filly had to serve the mandatory three month ban, after which she returned to training. A few months later the pain of the Moonee Valley disaster was put aside when Bill brought Patrona Glow down the outside at odds of 100/1, to win the last two year old race of the season at Harold Park.
The last 2yo race of the 1980/81 season. Bill scored on Patrona Glow at 100/1 - courtesy Club Menangle.
From the time of his retirement in 2008 Bill had toyed with the idea of becoming involved in the administration of the sport. He decided to put his hand up in 2015 when a vacancy presented itself on the NSW Harness Racing Club Board. He had the time to devote to the task, and the unwavering support of wife Maureen who knew better than anybody that his passion for the sport was intact.
Bill felt he had the right qualifications and members obviously agreed. A generous proportion of the votes gave Bill Ellis a seat at the board table, and for almost six years now the harness racing devotee has been drawing on the experience gained over fifty years of involvement.
Bill in his current role as a member of the Club Menangle Board of Directors - courtesy Club Menangle.
The term NSW Harness Racing Club has been supplanted by the more commercial name of “Club Menangle” - a limited company with the potential to diversify business operations. One notable project to be completed by the company is the Menangle Country Club, boasting state of the art facilities while maintaining the country charm of the heritage listed site. A feature of the new complex is a 250 seat function centre with private veranda and gardens, offering the perfect location for most functions with special emphasis on weddings.
“We had barely opened the doors in early 2020 when Covid reared its ugly head,” said Bill. “We had to close immediately and retrench seven key people who’d been employed to get the place up and running. It was heartbreaking.”
His directorship with Club Menangle isn’t the only role commanding his attention currently. He’s also a member of the board of the Australia Pacing Gold standardbred sales company, while he’s regularly called up as an assessor advising the Harness Racing Appeals Tribunal. It’s the perfect mix for a sprightly 78 year old aficionado of the harness racing industry.
Bill’s second term as a board member expires in October, bringing down the curtain on six fulfilling years in the role. Should his services be sought for one more term he’s ready to rumble.
They don’t come much better qualified for this important role than William Edwin Ellis. He caught the bug more than sixty years ago as he watched Cyril Caffyn driving a pacer on the tiny circle at the Royal Easter Show. He’s never been able to shake it off.
Ansett Airlines flew several Sydney media men to Perth on a promotional tour in the 1960s. From left Ray Conroy, Harry Pearce, Peter Muszkat (Ansett), and Bill Ellis with Des Hoysted in the background - courtesy Club Menangle.
Bill with Winter after a feature win at Bulli 1978. The trophy was presented by colleague Bill Whittaker (Herald) - courtesy Club Menangle.
Bill during his preliminary on Winter at Menangle 1978 - courtesy Club Menangle.
(Banner image - Bill wins on Winter on the now defunct Richmond grass circuit. Other drivers in the photo are Kevin Newman (outside), Tony Turnbull (No. 10) and Jim Bennett (inside No.2) - courtesy Club Menangle)