Marong club drives hard for survival

A regional Victorian harness racing club is battling plans to close its busy and much-loved training facility near Bendigo.

The Marong trotting track was established through the hard work of local harness racing trainers and owners in the 1970s, but is located in a fast-growing Bendigo growth area and is now under threat.

A City of Greater Bendigo draft masterplan to redevelop Malone Park recreation reserve is recommending the closure of the Marong Light Harness Racing Club’s track to make way for a new green playing surface and two new illuminated ovals.

The President Wally Newton says the track has been the nursery of some of Australia’s trotting greats, and is still well-utilised, particularly by about a dozen local trainers, for workouts and at weekly informal trials nights in summer months.

“It’s overkill, thinking that they need to get rid of our trotting track – they could comfortably fit two ovals inside the track right now if they wanted, without interfering with the trotting track,” Newton said.

“There are plenty of examples elsewhere in Victoria where harness racing clubs happily coexist with other sports, at Mildura, Swan Hill, Wedderburn, St Arnaud, Charlton and I think it’s up to the council to look a bit more broadly about how they can facilitate that, rather than just shut us down,” he said.

The club has enlisted the support of Harness Racing Victoria’s legal counsel, Trots Clubs Victoria and the Victorian Square Trotters’ Association in arguing its case to stay put as well as the Australian Confederation of Motor Clubs, which hosts events at the venue.

Newton, who’s devoted more than four decades to maintaining and upgrading the facilities, said about a dozen local trainers regularly use the Marong track, and up to another 30 from the wider district access the facilities on a semi-regular basis.

“Before 1975 trainers worked around the outside of the football ground and there weren’t too many other facilities here. But the council and football club agreed that if the harness club wanted to clear the bush and undulating land nearby we could use this land and ‘never have any worries’,” he said.

“Work was done removing trees, leveling the land and forming a trotting track. Harness club members paid for the works and volunteered the hours to build the facilities, then a running rail and a perimeter fence.

“We started holding events, and worked with other equestrian clubs to build a sand roll, urinal and equipment shed, a judges box, covered horse stalls and a machinery shed, along with a club house and toilet block.

“There have been thousands of dollars spent by the club and Harness Racing Victoria to develop and maintain what we have today, but we’re now it’s being suggested we can use facilities at Sebastian (25 kilometres away) or at Lord’s Raceway (on the opposite side of Bendigo).”

Newton said the club had recently resumed its summer trials program for 2021.

“Every Thursday night there’s an opportunity for trainers to take part in education workouts, or more competitive trials, depending on what they need,” he said.

“Most of the trainers are hobbyists, or trainers with young or inexperienced horses who like to bring them to Marong for education in a safe and relaxed environment. We encourage young participants or people starting a new career to learn about things like race calling, clerk of course or starting procedures through close up experiences with the industry.”

Newton said some of Australia’s biggest harness racing names have had their start at the Marong track, none better known than Popular Alm.

Affectionately known as ‘Poppy’, the Hall of Fame pacer had his first trial at Malone Park before going on to win most of Australia’s biggest races, including the A.G. Hunter Cup, Miracle Mile, Australian Pacing Championship and the Winfield Cup (now the Victoria Cup) twice.

“I was there – one of the owners still brags about the fact he (Popular Alm) won the trial and was off the track before the second horse came past the post,” Newton said.

“We’ve had Brer Rabbit and Transpec, who were both trained locally and both trialled out here before going on to race in the Inter Dominion.

“It would be a shame to see it go, not just for trotting, but for a lot of people. Certainly, Marong is growing as a community, but I think the master plan takes an easy way out – we think there’s a lot more to be gained by finding ways to work together so we can all have a better facility and all the users can get the advantage, including harness racing.”

Submissions on the draft masterplan are invited by the Greater Bendigo Council and close today. For further details, click here.

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink