Sky Racing

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LEON JURD DOES IT HIS WAY

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LEON JURD DOES IT HIS WAY

Leon Jurd has been thinking outside the square for most of his forty four years in harness racing. In a remarkably diversified career, the now 61 year old has made his mark as a driver, trainer and bloodstock agent.

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GREG CONEY LIKED TAMWORTH THE FIRST TIME HE SET FOOT IN THE PLACE.

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GREG CONEY LIKED TAMWORTH THE FIRST TIME HE SET FOOT IN THE PLACE.

Greg Coney had barely reached his teen years when he first set foot in the bustling north western NSW city of Tamworth - the state’s second largest inland city.

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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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“DID IT RAIN IN TEMORA TODAY?” - THE QUESTION THAT CHANGED BRUCE HARPLEY’S LIFE.

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“DID IT RAIN IN TEMORA TODAY?” - THE QUESTION THAT CHANGED BRUCE HARPLEY’S LIFE.

Bruce Harpley was as happy as a dog with two tails when daylight savings resumed in NSW on October 3rd. For the last thirty years daylight has been a precious commodity for the personable Harpley…

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SYDNEY’S FIRST INTERDOMINION!

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SYDNEY’S FIRST INTERDOMINION!

We recently stumbled upon some high quality photographs from the 1952 Interdominion series - the eleventh to be conducted and the very first at Sydney’s iconic Harold Park Paceway.

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THERE’S ONLY ONE CORRECT HOPPLE LENGTH

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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.

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BRUCE MORGAN PROVED YOU SHOULD NEVER LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH!

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BRUCE MORGAN PROVED YOU SHOULD NEVER LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH!

Trainers who live within earshot of their stables seem to develop an uncanny sensitivity to the sounds made by a horse in trouble. Junortoun trainer Bruce Morgan has been lured from his bed many times over the years by the familiar thrashing of a horse cast in its box, but around 7.30 pm on July 17th he was puzzled by a sound he’d never heard before.

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

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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.

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JULIE’S HOMEBRED BOY IS STILL GOING STRONG A DECADE ON

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JULIE’S HOMEBRED BOY IS STILL GOING STRONG A DECADE ON

Most trainers are discouraged when one of their horses goes out at much longer odds than anticipated. Julie Henman certainly didn’t expect her veteran gelding Don Kee to be the rank outsider in a field of eight at Club Menangle on Tuesday March 23rd.

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

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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.

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ROMANCE LED BEN SETTREE TO A LIFE IN HARNESS RACING!

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ROMANCE LED BEN SETTREE TO A LIFE IN HARNESS RACING!

You’d be hard pressed to find a person in harness racing who wasn’t delighted to see Ben Settree train the winner of the Junee Pacing Cup last week. If a detractor does exist, he or she is obviously living on another planet.

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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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THE HART SIBLINGS ARE HARNESS RACING BLUE BLOODS

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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.

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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.