Blind eye from the law and Wayne’s off on the double

Jolly north-east Victorian harness racing character Wayne Anderson knew his luck was in when he headed off to a Wagga Wagga meeting recently.

“I cut a bloke off at a roundabout on the way up and travelling along behind him was a cop. I’m almost certain he would have seen what I did,” Anderson said.

“I kept going slowly, waiting to be pulled up. I was a bit upset with myself because I haven’t been booked since 1987. Anyway, he didn’t chase after me – and I thought, my luck is definitely in today!”

Anderson, who lives in the picturesque Indigo Valley, 25 kms from Wodonga, went on to make the most of his charmed run, cheering home his first ever training double, with Postal Express (Flightpath) and Mister Cole (Hurrikane Kingcole).

“Postal Express was retired after his previous start after he finished third at Albury, but when the Wagga Wagga race conditions looked perfect, that was short-lived,” he said.

“It was done on preferential barrier draw on lifetime wins, so he was going to draw the back row which suited. And besides I was taking two others up, so it wasn’t a drama adding another one.

“We nominated them with Blake Jones on, but Blake was committed to drive for other stables in both races, so he suggested we grab Jackson (Painting). We’ve competed a bit at Riverina meetings and both of those boys have impressed us.

“It was the first time we’d used Jackson and he drove them a treat. He saved Postal Express for one dash at them halfway up the straight and then gave Mister Cole the gun run behind the leader, before zipping along the sprint lane.”

Anderson bought Postal Express in 2018 when the horse’s former trainer Robbie Walters suggested he would be an ideal horse for Anderson’s son Chris to learn to drive on.

“So, we paid $3,000, and Chris won on him at Shepparton. I also got wins at Shepparton and Echuca when Chris couldn’t make it to those meetings,” Anderson said.

“He’s been a good money-spinner and now he’s $11 short of earning $90,000, but the Wagga win was definitely the end of the road for him. I’ve taken the shoes off him and he’s in a paddock as a buddy with another retiree and I’ve contacted the Hero people looking for him to be placed somewhere as a riding horse.

“We reckon it was the perfect way to end a nice career.”

Mister Cole has now won three of his past 10 starts, with Chris Anderson in the sulky on two of those victories.  The horse was purchased from Queensland trainer Grant Dixon.

“He’s a horse with plenty of ability. He can pull sometimes, but he’s a way better horse racing on a helmet,” Anderson said.

“Grant has been really good over the years in recommending suitable horses for us down here and Mister Cole was bought by Chris and two mates he plays with at Chiltern footy club, Mitch Hemming and Murray Price,” he said.

“But Chris has just recently bought a construction scaffolding safety business and also has a new four-month-old baby and he’ll find it very difficult to continue race driving, so Mister Cole is on the market.

“He’s a smart driver considering the little he does. It will be a shame to lose him because we had a good relationship with me as trainer and him doing most of the driving.  I’m thinking I’ll also have to cut back with my numbers because Chris would come out and give me hand whenever he could.”

Anderson has been involved in the sport for well over 25 years.

“I won my first race as a driver on a horse named Constant Cash. That was at Cobram in December 1994. The following month I landed my first training winner at the same track with Motoring Limond – I was also the driver.”

Anderson, who is a non-drinker, said he celebrated his Wagga training double with a chocolate milk and scone.

The stable has prepared eight winners this season, which is a career high.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink