Country Victorian harness racing identity Denis McIntyre is playing his cards close to his chest, but he certainly seems to have a bright prospect in his small stable.
McIntyre, based at the Wimmera town of St Arnaud, recently produced three-year-old gelding Captain Pins and the pacer couldn’t have been more impressive in scoring a runaway 16-metre victory at Maryborough in 1.57-1.
“He’s untapped, so we really don’t know how good he is, but we’re hoping,” McIntyre said.
“I’ve been friends with a bloodstock agent for years and I told him to find us a decent one in NZ – and it didn’t matter how long it took him.
Anyway, he found Captain Pins (Captaintreacherous-Pretty Pins (American Ideal) who had only raced four times for a win at Winton.
“I own him with my wife Elise, and we were probably dreaming about Derbies when we bought him. He’s a promising type, but you’re also going to run into the likes of Krug and co!”
Astute trials watchers didn’t let Captain Pins get under their guard prior to his Australian race debut, either.
The pacer had lined up against a reasonable field at Maryborough a few weeks earlier.
Driver Ryan Sanderson sat three back the pegs until the home corner, then joined the leader Sundons Courage, a Group 1 winning trotter, halfway up the straight.
Captain Pins stretched out nicely to win comfortably, stopping the clock at 1.58-7 (last half 56-3).
McIntyre, a farmer, who admits he’s in the process of “drifting away” from being on the land, was introduced to the sport as a youngster.
“My father was the local steward at St Arnaud trots and gallops meetings. That’s how I got involved. And my grandfather and an uncle had good horses-they would dominate the free-for-alls,” he said.
“I remember they had a horse called Rising Flood. I think he won a Shepparton Cup and also won at the old Melbourne Showgrounds track. I was given my first horse by an Aunty who had bred him. I took him to the Melbourne Show for his first run, then spelled him and he won a race at the Charlton Show. He had ability, but in the end I couldn’t get him to go.”
McIntyre then made a fortuitous decision to buy a horse named Spike, who went on to win more than 20 races in a remarkable career.
“He was by Meadow Vance and a lot of them were a bit mad. I just took my time with him and that paid off. I drove Spike in his Victorian races, but in hindsight I probably shouldn’t have because I was just a kid,” he said.
But McIntyre may be just underselling himself a little as the pair combined to win a number of feature events at the Showgrounds as well as country cups including Cranbourne, Ouyen and Nyah.
“His performance to win at Ouyen was huge. The crack SA pacer named Globe Score (Bill Shinn) was off 20m and the one to beat. When I tacked on with two laps to go, Bill made his run. I got pushed out wide, but later when I lifted the reins off my bloke’s rump, he just took off,” he said.
“The next week we were in consecutive races at the Showgrounds. Globe Score won at a short price, while the bookies didn’t take much to Spike who was 5/1. But we won as well, and the Shinn stable followers cleaned up!
“Spike had speed, but was tough as well, and he had to be because he wasn’t all that good away in the standing starts.”
McIntyre later sent the horse to the late Kevin Robinson, regarded as one of the best conditioners in the business. Robinson, who was based at Berry, won four straight at Harold Park.
“He also won the Albion Park Ten Thousand, which was a big race back then, along with a Redcliffe Cup,” he said.
McIntyre said when he retired Spike, he used him a bit as a sire.
“He was a lovely natured stallion. In the 1981 drought, I had to cut down on numbers and at one stage he was the only one at the farm. He lived until he was 36.
“I got out of horses then and probably wasn’t involved again for nearly 30 years.”
While McIntyre has been a breeder, trainer and driver, he’s also known as a passionate St Arnaud club member. He is a former President and held that position for 28 years straight.
In recent years he’s returned to training after “liking the look” of a D M Dilinger-sired mare in Jatiki Miss.
“I won three races with her before she broke down. Now we are racing a horse we bred out of her in Dot The Eye,” McIntyre said.
“He had his 101st start the other day and was successful. He’s now won 10 races and a heap of placings but it’s Elise who deserves the credit for his recent improved form.
“We’ve bought an Equissage machine and we’re using that on him, as well as the hand massaging and it’s really turned him around.”
By Terry Gange for Harnesslink