A son’s wish, a dad’s triumph and a tick off the bucket list

Harness racing and breeding were more than just hobbies for the late Steve McCallum – they were his passion, his purpose, and, ultimately, his legacy.

Even as he faced terminal illness, Steve’s thoughts were never far from the sport he loved.

“He actually did up a bucket list for me to tick off on a number of things,” Steve’s father Greg McCallum said.

“One of these was winning the Group One Redwood Trotters Classic at Maryborough. Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think it might happen, but that was a big one to tick off.”

That wish came true in October last year when the highly promising trotter Vytis (Volstead) produced a faultless display to storm home via the sprint lane and capture the $75,000 Redwood Classic at Maryborough.

Courtesy of a 10 out of 10 drive by trainer-driver Emmett Brosnan, Vytis’s win marked an emotional and proud moment for Greg, who races the gelding in partnership with Brosnan’s wife Bridie and Tony Lavrencic.

To top it off, the gelding was also recently named 2YO Colt/Gelding of the Year, underscoring his enormous potential.

“Steve’s love was heading for trotters. I liked the dam of Vytis, Reine Sereine (Orlando Vici) and when I was given the opportunity to be a part-owner, I just said count me in. We now also have a half-brother that has just been broken in,” Greg said.

“I remember when Vytis won at his second race start at Melton, I joked with Emmett that we could be off to the Redwood. He agreed and said we’d certainly have a look at it when the time came.”

Vytis has two wins and five seconds to his name and is now back in work following a break. With his talent and temperament, he’s on track for a Derby campaign and other major features later this season.

Steve McCallum was just 27 years old when he passed away from cancer in 2016. Although the McCallums weren’t originally from a harness racing background, Steve’s love for the sport ignited a family journey that continues to this day.

“We’re not from a harness racing family, but Steve just loved it from day one. He was the brain power and took it on. I encouraged him as much as I could and ended up buying the horses!” Greg said.

“We went over to New Zealand and the first horse we bought was Willy Holdon, which won three races for us. That got us into it then the bug took hold!” he said.

“That trip was a big highlight for Steve, because he got to meet his idol, Tony Herlihy. He was about 14 years old, and Tony had him feeding his horses.”

After securing his trainer’s licence, Steve trained at Croydon and later at Coldstream, doing his fastwork at the Yarra Glen track.

“Steve was great mates with Mattie Ablett at Croydon,” Greg said.

“They went over to South Australia for a week with two horses and finished fourth in the Derby. That was Steve’s school work experience – probably something a bit unusual when you think about it,” he said.

“In 2008 we bred My Charli Girl (Northern Luck) and Steve battled along with it for 20 starts but didn’t have any luck. Then we had Saint David’s Field (Attorney General), and it had three starts before Steve got crook. A friend of ours, Charlie Wootton, had it for a bit and the horse ended up winning four races, our first wins as breeders.

“Steve enjoyed driving in the trials but never really wanted to drive at the races. He preferred to leave that to the professionals and that’s how he developed a friendship with Emmett.”

Greg and Steve had a vision, and together they mapped out breeding plans that, for a time, saw 13 horses in their care, including foals, yearlings, and mares in foal.

“The breeding lines that Steve and I set up are virtually gone now. We’ve shifted from the Yarra Valley to Terang and have a small 12-acre property where five horses live happily,” Greg said.

“When Steve passed, we just had to bite the bullet and soldier on. We’ve had lots of support – there’s good people in harness racing. 

“One of the big items on Steve’s bucket list was to get a win at Yarra Valley’s annual Melbourne Cup day meeting, and His Dream Lives On (six wins) achieved that in 2019.  The whole family was there, so it was a really special win.

“Steve would be rapt that we’ve managed to tick some big items off the bucket list. But there’s a few to go – a Metropolitan winner, and a trip to NZ to attend the Kaikoura Cup meeting – and we’ll keep working on those.”

From Terry Gange for Harnesslink