Cramping up ...
Thanks to a post on Facebook from my southern counterpart Jamie Searle, I switched over to TAB TV just before 11pm this Tuesday to watch history in the making. Shayne Cramp has already dominated proceedings at Mildura, a town on the northwestern boundary of Victoria, but this Tuesday night was unforgettable.
Cramp trained all eight winners on the card - and drove three of them himself. He may not have been driving the winner in the last race, but he rightfully pulled out a whip flourish as he went past the line in third.
It's never been done in Australian harness racing and investigations are under way to see if it's ever been done world-wide.
...but in position
I'm not sure if Cramp and the various connections of his winning horses were lining up for every photo after the race, but I can only hope they did it properly.
I'm not going to mention any names but if you want to appear in the photo of your winning horse in the birdcage, there's a simple rule - if you can't see us (the photographers), we can't see you.
I've lost count of the number of people who have wandered off behind a horse, are standing in front of the horse and facing the wrong way, or are simply vertically-challenged types standing behind the tall people in their syndicate.
It's no great problem for me, as I don't use many of these shots for publication, but you may be sorely disappointed if you get proofs of your birdcage photos, only to find you're not in it.
Common sense, people!
Girls on film
I see a few North Island jockeys have got together to put out a Racy Girls calendar for next season. I'm a good old charismatic fella, so I'm not going to pass judgement on the looks of the jockeys, who all do a good job in the saddle.
I do understand though that one South Island female jockey reckons the girls from the Mainland could at least match up. Sounds to me like the genesis of a rival calendar for the 2015-16 season. I'm available in a consultancy role.
Mum's the word
Speaking of the female of the species, the Otago Harness Racing Awards are coming up next month and nominations are open for the broodmare of the year.
One or two have already come in, but if you have a mare you think has done a good job this season through her progeny on the track, contact me and I will pass the nomination on to the organisers.
Lazy Fiver
Idle Conn didn't get out until late at Oamaru on Sunday but ran home well for sixth. Stay with it - I will be. Back to Oamaru again - both me and the Lazy Fiver - where Contador is due to strike in race 8.
