Racing families team up at Marburg

There’ll be some healthy family rivalries to the fore at this Sunday’s inaugural Father’s Day Drivers’ Challenge series at the Marburg Harness Racing Club in southeast Queensland.

Four Queensland harness racing families have been invited to compete – with the catch being that the two family members must come from different generations.

Stepping up for the two heats on Sunday are father-son combinations Greg and Matt Elkins, Gavin and Matt Crone and Alistair and Brendan Barnes.

But Darrel Graham and his daughter, popular Sky Channel anchor Brittany Graham, are the only father-daughter combination and will be fierce competitors.

“We’re rapt to be part of it. It’s a great initiative by the Marburg club, they’re always putting together something different. I’m really looking forward to it and I know dad is too,” Brittany said.

“The club got in contact with us about a month ago to float the idea and we loved it. We’ll be doing our best to accumulate the points we need for the bragging rights.”

This Sunday’s round of heats will be followed up by a second round at the club’s next meeting on Sunday, September 12.

The progressive Marburg Club runs popular non-TAB fixtures, most notably its Easter Carnival, which was this year hampered by dreadful weather.

“They’re always coming up with ideas that might grab the interest of people in the sport and the community and hopefully they’ll get a good crowd of people along looking for something a bit different to do for Father’s Day,” Brittany said.

Although with her television commitments Brittany gets fewer opportunities to drive these days, this season she is keeping a handy strike rate intact. From 49 starts so far in 2021 her starters/placings ratio is better than 50 percent and she’s accumulated eight winners.

She said she still enjoys keeping her hand in with driving when the opportunity arises, with her most recent win at Albion Park last weekend on Blue Moon Rising (Santanna Blue Chip – Lady Moonlight (Sands Aflyin) trained by her father Darrel.

“Dad and I don’t get too many chances to drive against each other these days. Mostly I’m working when the races are on, but when I’m not and I can be there, dad usually gives me a drive or two,” she said.

“Like most dads though, the drives he gives me are most likely the ones he would have driven himself, so we really don’t get into the same races too often. We did manage a couple on Saturday night, though, and finished second and fourth in one race, so that was ok.

“We work against each other in track work at home, but we’re not too competitive there. We prefer to leave it for the racetrack!”

Brittany said it’s not surprising to note there were quite a lot of potential combinations that could have lined up in the Marburg challenge.

“Queensland in particular is very strong in that next generation, and it’s always been the case. Trainers up here are fantastic at giving junior drivers opportunities, and if you look at our State Premiership three of the top ten drivers are concession drivers and half of the top 10 are under 30. It says a lot for the quality of the young drivers as well as the opportunities they’re given,” she said.

To view Sunday’s Marburg fields, click here.

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink