After 1,366 days’ absence, she’s back and winning

Harness racing training is a test of patience, but longtime South Australian horseman Peter Bain has set the bar high with his six-year-old mare Hilltop Surfer (Somebeachsomewhere, who scored a first-up win after 1,366 days off the scene.

Bain admits he had his doubts during the three years, eight months and 26 days with the pacer who won impressively at Globe Derby last Monday (Jan 9).

“There were a few setbacks, but in the end, I just decided to put my mind to it. I think getting the horse to the races again became something I believed I could do,” Bain, of Gawler said.

In what was a super training achievement Hilltop Surfer led all the way at Globe Derby Park to win by 11 metres, rating 1.58-3.

Bain, who has been training for more than 30 years, said getting the mare back to the races had become something of a personal challenge, but the victory was a big relief.

“I tried to keep it together. Sitting with me was one of our biggest stable supporters, my good mate in Rocky Butterworth.  My mum (Val) and dad (Trevor) who race the horse, were there watching too,” Bain said.

“I always sit in the same spot in the grandstand. I remember standing up and clapping, like I was applauding a cricketer just making a century, as the horse went over the finish line,” he said.

“Mum was pretty emotional, but dad always handles things in a calm manner.”

Bain these days only trains one or two of his own horses but is an integral part of the operations of his son Aaron, under the Aaron Bain Racing banner. Peter purchased Hilltop Surfer out of the sales having had progeny from her dam (San Sophia) previously – Hilltop Sophia (15 wins) and Hilltop Delight (two wins).

“Hilltop Surfer is very well mannered and easy to get on with – just a natural and I really, really like her. The way she broke in I thought she was one of the better horses I’d had and couldn’t wait to get her to the racetrack,” Bain said.

That happened as a two-year-old, and after finishing fifth and fourth at Globe Derby in March 2019, Hilltop Surfer ran a creditable fourth in a heat of the 2YO Golden Nursery Stakes at Victor Harbor behind Hesashark.

“We later found out she had a bit of a crack in a hock, so I took her over to Ballarat and got that screwed. She was confined for three weeks there, and she’s been confined a lot of the time since because that’s a longtime injury,” he said.

As well as the original complaint, Hilltop Surfer produced more challenges for Bain, some as side-effects of the hock problem.

“With the transfer of weight, she’s had near side tendon problems twice and then once in the other one. I’ve worked closely with the local vet (and harness racing trainer) Toby Ryan and others to find the best ways to rehab her and Aaron and I bounced ideas off each other,” he said.

“Toby told me to get those long miles into her legs with walking and then slow jogging. There hasn’t been any high-tech stuff—we use ice boots and an equissage machine on the legs and she’s spent quite a bit of time in the pool at Aaron’s racing barn as well as probably six months on the treadmill.”

Bain said it seemed that whenever he had thoughts of trialing the mare, there was always a hiccup.

“There always seemed to be a little niggle like greasy heel or a runny nose and in the end, I thought her trackwork at home was very good, so let’s just get her to the races.”

Bain said he was pleased that Samantha Pascoe was able to handle the mare at her first start back.

“Sam has worked for us for a while and she’s been part of the recovery process,” he said.

“I did tell her she’d better take the chance to reintroduce the horse to the mobile barrier because it’s been quite some time since she’d seen it!

“But there wasn’t a worry.  They got to the lead and Sam looked after her, to her credit, then cut the ribbons with 300m to go and the horse really hit her straps and took off.”

There were four generations of the Bain family present at Globe Derby on Monday to cheer home Hilltop Surfer, another of the Bain’s “Hilltop” horses, a prefix Peter has used since 2011.

“My mum Val is 84 and was raised at Concordia, near Gawler East – the family property, which we still have, was known as Hilltop Farm, so it seemed fitting. The first one was Hilltop Raider who won 22 races and nearly $90K. Then there was Hilltop Sophia and Hilltop Rose who quinellaed the Golden Nursery. We also won the Ladyship Stakes and the Woodlands.”

“All up, it’s been a long road with Hilltop Surfer and while my parents have been big supporters all the way through, I think if dad had his way, she probably could have had two foals by now!”

Bain said the family had enjoyed a memorable three days with a double at the Gawler metro gallops meeting on Saturday, success at Globe Derby trots that night and then Hilltop Surfer being victorious on Monday.

“The race I won was only $3000—but money couldn’t buy that feeling!” he laughed.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink