I managed to scramble around the day before and the morning of the event to put together a small something for one of the UK's leading harness horses over the past 20+ years: Stoneriggs Mystery. In it I made reference to the potential fairytale ending to his illustrious career should he win the Crock of Gold for the third time on his final career start, and the Lord only knows how much I was willing him on that night.
Smarty, George [Carson] and I had travelled down to Tir Prince with two horses to race - Crosshill Ace in the BHRC 3YO Fillies Oaks over 1.5 miles, and Valentine Camden in the Low Grade OPH. I knew Ace wasn't going to suit the trip and she proved me right when finishing a well-beaten fourth. A huge WELL DONE to the connections of Greenhilldebateable, and to the filly herself who has finally joined the open handicap ranks after the win in the Oaks wiped away her 'Novice' status. She must have been one of the richest novices in the country's history, with earnings of the guts of £12,000 against her name before the race. A competitive prospect for the 2018 season.
'Val' was a victim of racing luck, and ran well to finish fifth in somewhat of a bunch finish. It was hoped the run on the bigger track would bring him on for his return to Corbiewood, however to date he's only managed one placed run and I've been told the stable has been finished up for the year.
We've been going racing long enough to not let something like our horses failing to pick up rosettes dampen the evening so once both horses were settled back on the box, we were able to wander over to the main part of the track to watch the penultimate race of the night: Crock of Gold.
Before I talk you through it, blow-by-blow, I must make one quick point (which I have sent by email to the BHRC office for dispersal to Council members and the promoter in question). There is insufficient lighting in the paddock area at Tir Prince. This is applicable in fact to all race tracks, however Tir Prince is so affected due to its nighttime fixtures in the latter part of the season when the nights are drawing in. Whilst we were able to tack/untack/wash Ace in half light (race 5/10), by the time Val raced (race 7/10) we were forced to use torches on our phones to tack/untack/wash him. I did see people wearing headtorches of their own accord and cursed myself for not thinking to bring mine (I will the next time I'm racing there in September), however for the purposes of insurance and health & safety, relying on people bringing their own lighting equipment is not sufficient. The floodlights from the track only exacerbated the situation by casting dark shadows on the far side of everything. My suggestion was to have external lights fitted to the barn which is located between the gravel lorry park and the grass lorry park, and perhaps to erect central floodlighting (in the grass area particularly) to cast light in all directions.
A certain portion of people reading this will notch the above down to another classic example of me sticking my nose in where it's not wanted or needed. Sorry, but safety comes first. Just because things may always have been like that doesn't make them right. After all, working class men and women in general couldn't vote once upon a time.
Without further ado, let's go back to the main event - THE CROCK OF GOLD FINAL 2017.
Before the draw was made, commentator (and ambassador for the sport) Darren Owen ventured around the paddock to interview some of the trainers and drivers who were fielding runners in the Group 1 event. The video is conveniently situated here for your viewing pleasure.
Eight of the best pacers in the UK and Ireland faced the starter, with the draw as follows:
1 - PORTERSTOWN CHRIS - J Dunne
2 - PARTYATTHESPA - A Haythornthwaite
3 - LYONS MISCHIEF - M O'Mahony
4 - COALFORD TETRICK - S Lees
5 - EVENWOOD SONOFAGUN - W Laidler
6 - STONERIGGS MYSTERY - M Lord
7 - MIKEY CAMDEN - W Greenhorn
8 - MIRACULOUS - P Kane Jnr
This had been billed as the first head-to-head between superstar pacers Evenwood Sonofagun (aka Gunner) and Miraculous (aka Ted). Both having reached the lofty heights of Grade 12 (the highest grade achieveable in the handicap system) via two very different routes (Gunner as a maiden/novice/up through the grades from G1-12 and Miraculous as a successful stakes campaigner notching up the largest chunk of his earnings to enter the handicap system so high aged only 4). Many were quick to point out that this was not a two horse race (to paraphrase one person - "we could have an Imperial Commander situation on our hands" {if you don't know what that means, Google Kauto Star, Denman and Imperial Commander and just do a bit of reading}) and that horses such as Coalford Tetrick and Mikey Camden could 'spoil the party'.
Neither of the protagonists had landed easy post positions and plenty of people told me Miraculous simply could not win from the far outside. I remained quietly confident; from the 8 hole his driver would need to take back and although in top company you wouldn't want to concede any ground to your rivals in the early stages of a race, Miraculous had already proven his unbelievable engine in the closing furlongs on previous occasions. With speed merchants Porterstown Chris and Coalford Tetrick on his inside, it was Evenwood Sonofagun who potentially faced the stiffer task.
And that is exactly what happened. Patrick Kane Jnr (who was subsequently berated on social media by people who should know better than to stir) immediately dropped in to land on the rail before the first bend, where he remained until just before the half when he tipped out and took cover for much of the remainder of the race. Evenwood Sonofagun found himself parked early up front and had no choice but to tough it with no cover.
I'll not talk you through it anymore. Just watch the video. When I watched this back on social media in the days after the event, it was the first time I had heard Darren's commentary. I was stood just past the finish line (somehow surrounded by about 10 children, all shouting on different horses and drivers) and I cannot describe the noise in the place for the last quarter of the race. It was deafening.
Miraculous got the better of Evenwood Sonofagun in the stretch but 'Gunner' came back to him in such a display of determination and guts. The fractions that were set in the first half of the race should have led to the total collapse of Evenwood Sonofagun in the final furlongs; he defied the logic of all that we know from what has come before him. And Miraculous...people forget he is only 4. To be racing in the pinnacle of FFA races at the end of a 4 year old season having sustained a minor injury and posted numerous sub-2 minute performances already in 2017?! Honestly, in the immediate aftermath of that race, there was not a place on Earth I would rathered have been. I could not have seen better harness racing at any track, in any country, than what I saw in the one minute fifty six point two seconds prior to that.
The judge couldn't split them. It was a dead heat, in a track-record equalling time of 1.56.2.
In what had been billed as the ultimate head-to-head, the two titans could not be separated.
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| Miraculous (outside) & Evenwood Sonofagun head to the wire together (Graham Rees photo) |
And look here, what's this in the background?!
Well it's only Mikey Camden putting in the performance of his life to land himself third place!! William Greenhorn kept him out of trouble for the entire race and produced him for a place at the finish - textbook drive and brilliantly executed. Mikey Camden finished realistically in the best position he could and for some, much closer to the front two horses than expected.
And then, as if my nerves could take any more, Stoneriggs Mystery was walked back to the winner's circle. I'm not ashamed to say I cried. I cried without abandon. At this point, I felt as though anyone judging me for being emotional in the aftermath of such a tremendous race and in the face of a true legend of our sport being stripped of his harness for the final time must have a heart of stone (or just be terribly judgmental).
I wasn't there the night dual-Crock of Gold winner Scootaround was ceremoniously unharnessed at Tir Prince, but I had heard about it from several people and I knew it would be a fitting tribute to a warhorse such as Mystery. What touched me in particular was that Alexis Laidler, trainer of Evenwood Sonofagun and former trainer of Stoneriggs Mystery, was leaving the track to head back to the paddock after the Crock of Gold but stopped, perhaps 50 yards from where current trainer Sheelagh Lord and her daughters Kelly and Catherine were helping driver Mick unharness the horse. As the audience gave him a round of applause, so did Alexis. People forget that he took Alexis and Rocker to the lofty heights of winning the Crock of Gold a long time before Sonofagun's joint-victory that night.
I haven't been able to source the professional photos so all I have to add to this are a couple of grainy pics from my phone. I think you'll get the message from them nonetheless.
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| Handler Kelly & Mystery |
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| Driver Mick follows his charge off the track |
The final race of the night happened to be the richest harness race in the UK's history; the £30,000 purse Gold Le Trot Final for 3YOs. I have to admit, I missed all of the race bar the closing strides as I had my face buried in the Crock of Gold with one set of winning owners trying to figure out (a) how they were going to decide which set of connections was getting to keep the trophy and (b) how to distract those in possession of it long enough that I could run away with it and pretend I owned the best FFAller(s) in the country!
Based on previous form and previous races, the final was a two-runner race between the Rhys Evans-trained Equilea Du Hauty and the Jody Foody-trained Ecume De Mer. Right enough, the two were going at it hammer and tongs at the finish but it was the Mound family's Equilea Du Hauty who stayed on to land the £15,000 first prize.
I also must mention trainer/driver Rhun Wilson, a lad (I say lad, I think he's older than me) who in the early stages of the season regretted making the move from W&BCRA to British Harness, struggling to get in the placings let alone win a race. He only went and won the Silver Final with Eldivina d'Esge which landed owner Joby Randall with a cheque for £10,000. I bet if I'd said to him in May that he would win a race for £10,000 on a trotter in September, he'd have laughed at me. Honestly.
Also well done to the syndicate, the Globe Trotters (which includes commentator Darren Owen) as their horse Emirat Du Levant won the Bronze Final (netting them £5000) in the hands of Richard Haythornthwaite who is a massive fan of the horse.
It was a long drive home; we got back to the stables at 4.30am and gave the horses an early breakfast so that we could have a lie in. We were exhausted the following day at Corbiewood. But on nights like that, nights when you cheer in the next generation of top Free For Allers and wave goodbye to the old guard, no distance is too great to miss it. I still say this is the greatest sport on Earth.
Over and out,
#1 Groom
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