Family favorite blasts back into the winner’s circle

Northern Victorian harness racing hobby trainer Simon Turnbull celebrated his first win in season 2025, when reliable campaigner High Flux (Auckland Reactor) scored an overdue victory in the Neatline Homes Pace at Shepparton (July 15).

Driven by Abbey Turnbull (no relation), the eight-year-old gelding registered his eighth career victory in what was his fastest winning mile rate to date – a well-earned reward for a string of eye-catching efforts.

“He’s been knocking on the door for four runs now – he’s really starting to put it all together again,” Turnbull said.

High Flux is the sole horse trained by Turnbull and owned by his wife Marlee at Merrigum, near Shepparton. Over six seasons, only a handful of other horses have joined the stable at any stage – and only briefly!

“Marlee found him online as a weanling for $1750. He’s out of a mare called Yokas that John Tapp used to train.  We used to live at Hawkesbury, so we knew the mare – she had seven wins from about 20 starts, but had leg issues,” Turnbull said.

“We broke in High Flux ourselves. He raced at two, won his first race at three, and he’s gone on to win at least one race every season since. He’s now had eight wins and 33 placings from 101 starts.

“We really only have time to do one or two – and while we’ve had a couple of others since he came along, we both work and don’t have a lot of time.  High Flux is no superstar, but we love him. He’s our boy.”

Growing up next to Hawkesbury racecourse, Turnbull dabbled in the gallops, working for thoroughbred trainers before school and eventually decided to follow his dad into harness racing and take out his own licence.

“My dad is Andrew Yates – he always had a couple of horses and I came up through the pony trots. We weren’t big-time at all, just battlers. But I loved it and kept going,” he said.

Turnbull drove some nice types such as Vogue Falcon, Easy Pastime and Our First Fantasy, and trained handy pacer Lombo Final Touch, who went on to win races at Menangle for Jarrod Alchin.

Simon and Marlee moved to Victoria about a decade ago after his parents relocated. He now works at the renowned Lindsay Park thoroughbred complex at Euroa.

“I do transport, raceday ‘repping’ for the stable, young horse work – whatever needs doing really,” he said.

“Marlee works for the CPSU (Public Sector Union) now, but she used to be a vet nurse at Lindsay Park and Goulburn Valley Equine.”

Despite sharing the surname, Simon Turnbull is quick to clarify that he’s not related to the famed Bathurst harness racing dynasty in New South Wales.

“I got involved with Craig and Abbey (Turnbull) and Bec Cartwright (who are based at Shepparton) when I got injured in a race fall driving High Flux in 2021,” Turnbull said.

“He was pulling hard and choked down. I got tipped out and broke a collarbone, a couple of ribs and punctured a lung,” he said.

“Craig, Rebecca, and Abbey were kind enough to take High Flux on while I was out of action and I think it was the making of him, really.

“He was worked with other horses in a big team and got to travel more and of course they’re so professional.  Abbey drove him and she loves him too.  She’s pretty much stuck with him ever since. I can’t thank them all enough.”

Simon and Marlee have a yearling filly by Mel Mara in work and two mares in foal this year, but with his quirky personality High Flux is still undoubtedly the family favorite.

“He’s a really lively horse who just loves to run – even in the paddock. He loves pears and he’ll take one straight from your hand!  If you can’t have a champion, you might as well have one like him!”

From Terry Gange for Harnesslink