sentimental win

The odds seemed to be stacked against the Ararat harness racing club’s centenary celebrations – but at last today, the milestone will be formally acknowledged.

Twice the club has scheduled its centenary meeting, once in 2020 and once earlier this year, only for the plans to be abandoned due to COVID-19.

And an incident with the failure of one of the track’s light poles earlier this year means the event is now going ahead as a day meeting, rather than the traditional night-time fixture.

But typically upbeat Ararat advocate Sharon Ralph, who is both wife of the president Phil and an engine room of the club in her own right, couldn’t be happier the meeting is finally going ahead.

“We’d done so much planning with recruiting sponsors and behind the scenes – it’ll be just wonderful to go ahead and run the event, and having such fabulous support from trainers and drivers to allow us to run 10 races on this day really means a lot,” she said.

Initially trotting races at Ararat were held as part of gallops race meetings, with the rules limiting the number of trotters races on each fixture to two. Historical records also document fiercely contested match races when two owners would race their horses against each other.

President Phil Ralph said in the early 1900s a committee was formed to create a sporting arena, with football, cricket, athletics, Agricultural and Pastoral Society and trotting considered suitable for the new ground.

“Many working bees, fundraisers, work by returned soldiers from WW1 eventually saw Alexandra Oval built and the first trotting committee was formed in April 1920,” he said.

“It took until June 6 of 1921 for the first trotting meeting to be held at Alexandra Oval, but trotting now had its own track and could race more than two races at a meeting.”

County Antrim won the first race held – and in fact contested four races on the day, winning three of them.

In the 1940s a proactive committee latched onto the idea to race under lights, and again fundraising and hard work by the committee saw Ararat hold its first night trotting meeting on March 25, 1950 – the second country club to race at nights.

Eventually in the 1970s a new site (the current site) was found for the club, and a new 700 metre track was built with, horse stalls and cantilever lighting. In the 1980s lights were upgraded to towers and the track increased to the current race size of 800 metres.

Sharon Ralph said progress had continued in more recent years, with stables replaced by a barn style accommodation for horses and new buildings for the administration and drivers, as well as a new dining facility being added.

“It’s still a terrifically proactive club and a great family club – we all work together, get on together for the good of the sport and we certainly like to be seen as one of country Victoria’s progressive clubs,” she said.

“We were a bit worried about being able to attract enough nominations to the meeting with it coming right before Christmas, but we’ve had amazing support.

“We initially had sponsorship for six centenary races to acknowledge important people in our club’s history – but we’ve ended up with ten races and full fields.

“We’re having a day meeting today because we had a light pole fall over in July. HRV had concerns so another 25 light towers were laid down to be checked.

“But we’re committed to night racing and are currently in the process of finalising plans to re-erect the light towers and return to nights, hopefully in time for our cup in February.”

The centenary meeting recognises past and present prominent local personalities such TJ and NF McGrath family, Mick and Lorraine O’Brien, Arthur Spiller, Bardy Smith, Milton and Pat McKinnis and Ross Boyd as well as some of the individual who helped establish the sport in its early day, including inaugural president WD King, and the trailblazing Alice Laidlaw, who worked tirelessly to improve the opportunities for women.

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink