The season is now less than two weeks away from its official start date and I'm not joking when I say this: I am like a kid in a sweet shop every time I allow myself to daydream about all of the exciting things are that are on the agenda up and down the country this year.
Before we take a look at some of these exciting things, I have to go through the obligatory apology for the lack of posts since my update some 8 weeks ago (perhaps more, I have lost all track of time entirely...like how is it actually nearly May already?!). One of my New Year's resolutions was probably to manage my time better, so consider it well and truly broken...and the season hasn't even started yet! I promise I will at least try to do better as the summer progresses, but by now you'll all be used to my tardiness.
OK so here we go...
GREENTREE STANDARDBREDS MARES PACING SERIES
Yeah yeah yeah, I hear you, this is just at Corbiewood. The harness racing world doesn't revolve around Corbiewood. NEWSFLASH: mine does. Everywhere else is a bonus. The 2017 running of this series, sponsored by Oakwood Stud, Ireland, was fan-bloody-tastic by all accounts, and won by the Gilvear family's DONTSTOPTHEPARTY. This year it's back with a brand new sponsor, Greentree Standardbreds, Co Durham (England) and a few small changes to the format. Check out the poster and mark the relevant dates in your calendar - last year we laid the foundations, and this year we are building on them soundly. At least 4 mares that I am aware of at the time of writing have been kept in training for an additional season rather than going to the stallion, and these races are now high on the list of desirable races to win for connections of mares. This means that we are achieving everything we set out to do at the start. If you also take into consideration that interspersed amongst these 7 races are 2 STAGBI Future Broodmares Races at Corbiewood, now with added prize money guaranteeing the winner £750 (up from the previous £500), this is truly the time to be racing a mare in Scotland. I've said it before and I'll say it again: HERE COME THE GIRLS!
PICK N MIX DRIVERS SERIES
Yeah yeah yeah, I still hear you. Read above. It's where things happen. This one seriously excites me. It's just another one of those ideas born out of the conversations Smarty and I have in the car. We spend a lot of time in the car, remember? This is a series based on a similar format to the mares series (6 legs and a final) with the focus being on bringing drivers back onto the track who either don't drive as much as they used to, or generally don't drive very much at all. Hell, word on the street is there are actually people who have previously NEVER held a licence getting involved in this. That's an immediate win for me. C Class Drivers, Lady Drivers and 50+ Drivers, all competing in their various category (or categories, if they fit the criteria - here's looking at you Carol McPhail, so far the only driver I can identify in the whole of the UK who is all three!!) with the top 8 equine money earners in the series going forward to a grand final where a selection of drivers will meet. And in line with the races being a 'pick n mix' of drivers, the series is sponsored by a 'pick n mix' of businesses and individuals. In addition to the prize money and the standard trophy, there will also be a prize for the winning driver of the final which I'm currently working on behind the scenes. Rest assured, I'm not holding back on extra! This series has already begun to capture the imaginations of harness racing enthusiasts and I sincerely hope this is as successful as the mares series. Corbiewood - the home of ideas, innovation and imagination!
STAR MAKER SERIES
Gosh darn it, don't I just love me a series?! So this one isn't my baby. That doesn't make any difference though, I'll get on board with anything that looks good, and this sure looks good to me. You can read more about it here, and at the last count a few weeks ago there were apparently 35 entries. One of those entries is our new team member, Al Jolson, who arrived just after my last update. HE'S GREY. You've no idea how long I've wanted a grey. You've no idea how much I underestimated the work involved in keeping a grey clean. Here's a recent photo of Al and me to prove he's real (and clean):
TEN TO FOLLOW COMPETITION
OK so this one isn't technically definitely happening but please know that I am trying with it. The idea came from the Thoroughbred racing competition my dad used to enter in the Racing Post. I trialled it a couple of years ago in a small group and I'll be honest, I failed to keep on top of it and it fizzled out. However, with the correct planning (which I think I've done this time) and the requisite help from the BHRC, I believe this has a chance of succeeding. Watch this space - I know the season is bearing down upon us but this could still be happening. If not, then just get excited about it for 2019 because I WILL make it happen somehow!! I may have to sometimes admit defeat on the not-so-good ideas, but I never give up on the good ones!
THE BIG FOUR
I realise that this one should have been coupled with the big number four, for larks, but I'm committed now. The Big Four: Appleby, Aberystwyth, Musselburgh and Tregaron. I've been out and about on my travels this spring speaking to some major players in the training ranks and these festivals of harness racing are still where people want to win. They are the four cornerstones of the season and everybody from the one man band to the biggest training establishment has at least one of these in their season goals list. Who will win the major handicap finals? Right now there are a lot of people with a lot of horses in their stables with at least some confidence that they have a chance. You've gotta be in it to win it!!
EQUINE PRODUCTS UK LTD IS COMING TO CORBIEWOOD!
Corbiewood again...#sorrynotsorry
I may have mentioned Marcia Thompson (off of Equine Products UK Ltd) a couple of times on the blog last year. Mainly because she kept giving me free hats and letting me borrow her coat at York when I dressed inappropriately for the weather. She also lent me her coat at Musselburgh too actually...one day I'll be able to look after myself but for now I have an unofficial carer. Anyway, with the closure of York, where Marcia had begun to build a customer base in the harness racing world, she found herself somewhat a free agent and already covering numerous Thoroughbred yards in Scotland, asked if there would be any way she could get involved with the racing at Corbiewood this year. This spawned the following tremendous collaboration:
MIRACULOUS & EVENWOOD SONOFAGUN
At the end of last season people started saying these horses should be getting exported to North America to race because they are two of the UK's finest FFA horses and I was over in the corner having a hissy fit BECAUSE I DON'T WANT THEM TO NOT BE RACING AT THE TRACKS I GO TO EVERY WEEK. Turns out neither did their connections and it has been confirmed that these two superstars are in training, here in the UK, and will be back to fight it out for 2018. This is great news. End of story.
"THE" VIDEO
If you haven't seen "the" video, where have you been for the past month?! This thing accidentally went viral on me which was 100% not what I anticipated (or indeed planned for). Viewing figures are unknown due to the way in which I uploaded the video to social media, something which I will kick myself for from now until my final days. However, at last count, the video has been shared 718 times in something like 15 different countries (that I've been able to track). People are talking about harness racing in the UK - mission accomplished.
You can check out the #ComeHarnessRacing video here.
The entire purpose of this video was to show everybody what we have here in the UK. This is happening every week, often in two or three different parts of the country, from May through to October. It's happening and people need to know about it. Maybe they'll actually come harness racing. Wouldn't that be awesome?
Look, what we have isn't the best in the world. It's not comparable to Thoroughbred racing here in the UK. I've come to terms with this, and the fact that we may never emulate what other countries across the world have achieved with harness racing. From that moment when I made peace with this, I began to truly appreciate what we have. What we have is unbelievably dedicated people and some truly phenomenally bred and trained equine athletes. We have a community, and a shared passion. We are like this big, slightly dysfunctional, but ultimately wonderful family. And we want to share it, with anyone and everyone who will stand still long enough to be drawn in by us, and it. Keep sharing: the video, the history and the joy of harness racing! And above all else, COME HARNESS RACING, at least once. Try it, you might like it!
NATIONAL C CLASS DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Along with the 10 to follow competition, this one isn't technically guaranteed to go ahead but a lot of the initial groundwork has been started and now it is out of my hands and with the BHRC. The aim was to create a series with regional heats (Scotland, Wales, Midlands/Welsh Border and North East England) and a grand final to be staged at Tir Prince on Crock of Gold night, thus giving some of the younger drivers the opportunity to be part of one of, if not THE, biggest race meetings of the year. The concept would see drivers allocated to horses randomly, with the races being run as penalty free in order to entice owners and trainers to enter their horses and leave the driver selection to random chance. Some people have expressed rather a negative view about this, however the way I see it is that the benefits outweight the drawbacks. Most importantly, it would allow young and amateur drivers the oportunity to drive a wider array of horses and gain experience whilst doing so. Furthermore, it would bring together owners/trainers and drivers who may not know each other, thus forging potential new friendships and alliances for the future. And ultimately, it would keep these drivers keen, interested and ambitious.
Find me a drawback big enough to outweigh those three points and maybe we'll talk.
I'LL BE THERE!!
Now I know that sounds like more of a reason NOT to come harness racing, but bear with me on this one please. I'm not one to blow my own trumpet, but there are rare moments when I become my own biggest fan and for flashes in the last 48 hours, that has been the case. I'm going to capitalise on this lapse in self-deprecation because it won't last long.
The other day, whilst on a stable visit in the north east, I was asked why I was doing what I was doing.
"Are you getting paid to do this?" was the first question.
"No".
"So why are you doing it?" was the second question.
"Why not?!".
It seemed like an appropriate answer to what I felt to be a bit of a daft question.
The real answer though, is this: because I can. Because I can take photos, and I can shoot videos, and I can put all of it together into something which shows our sport off for what it is. Because I can dream up crazy notions which, with a bit of help from someone whose brain is far more logical than mine (I'm the creative one), can become real concepts. Because I can sit and fire out emails to companies and individuals when I'm sat on the sofa of an evening with a cup of tea watching telly. Because I can be bold enough to say 'I need your money/goods for this new venture, please will you help?' without worrying about getting rejected or ignored. Because I can. I have never been more confident in my ability to pull things off, even when things are going wrong and I've made mistakes and I haven't planned for all eventualities. I'm not an expert on anything. I'm not even good at half the stuff I'm trying to do. But I can try to do things that have never been done before, and try my best.
If I applied myself to any other sport or industry or sector in the world I would probably be able to get an actual job doing all of the above. But I don't want to apply myself to any other sport or industry or sector in the world. I choose harness racing. And I choose harness racing here in the UK.
Come racing. Come to see me. Come and tell me where I need to improve, or where I've got things right. Come and ask questions. Come and cheer on the driver wearing your favourite colours, or a horse with a name you like. I'll be there, most of the time anyway.
Over and out,
#1 (Scottish) Groom
