14yo horse wins for 90-year-old trainer

If experience counts for anything, a 14-year-old gelding and his 90-year-old legendary trainer were always going to be the headline act at the Hamilton Harness Racing meeting in country Victoria yesterday afternoon (July 10).

Irishmurphy (Dream Away) led from start to finish on his home track to lower the colors of his more fancied rivals – but the smiles on the faces of the stable followers and even opposition trainers and drivers said it all.

The popular victory for “gentleman Jim” Barker wrapped up a highly-successful month with the nonagenarian’s stable veterans.

Barker’s 14-year-old trotter Glorious Finale (Village Jasper) went out a winner of $100K, retiring after his third-straight victory at Mount Gambier on June 2, and taking his career record to 19 wins. At Terang on June 25, it was also win number 19 for another of the stable favorites, 13-year-old pacer Johnny Redcoat (Safari).

Jim Barker began as a hobby trainer in the 1960s and has trained professionally for more than five decades.  These days Jim’s son Rod and 28-year-old grand-daughter Jackie help prepare the Barker team of around 20 horses, with Jackie handling the stable driving.

She was delighted and proud of Irishmurphy’s victory at Hamilton.

“Any win I can get for Pop is very special. It was too cold for him to be at the meeting, but he would have been watching all the races at home on the television with Nan (Patsy),” she said.

“Pop is still very much a part of the stable. He doesn’t miss many days and still does the waters and other jobs. If we need a load of joggers done, he’s up for that, but we keep him away from the jogcart!

“It’s a real family affair and they both thoroughly enjoy being a part of it. Nan has the race colors all washed up, along with the towels. She also blacks all the boots with shoe polish.

“There’s no doubt that Pop wishes he could still do it all, but we just love having him around and giving us a helping hand.”

Jackie, who has more than 480 wins to her credit, was quick to bustle Irishmurphy to the front from his front row barrier three alley and then withstood some pressure.

“He’s got a bit of gate speed and races a lot better in front. We thought he’d go well if I could hold the lead without using him up too much. He just held on, but got the win.”

Irishmurphy won by a neck from One Off (Ashley Ainsworth), with a similar margin back to the third placegetter Ona Merry Dance (Rory Coverdale). The winner recorded a mile rate of 2.00-9 with splits of 28.3, 32.7, 30.1 and 30. Irishmurphy now has 11 wins and 27 placings from 169 starts for earnings of nearly $66,000.

“He’ll keep racing until the end of the year and that will be it as when he turns 15 it’s compulsory retirement,” Jackie said.

Irishmurphy’s victory was the first leg of a winning double for Jackie – she also won the next race on the card with trotter Baltic Spirit (Peak) for Colac district trainer Daniel Laird.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink