Aussie harness racing stable snippets

Gifted harness racing horseman Jack MacKinnon, who admits he quite enjoys driving when he gets the opportunity, has posted his first winner since changing camps.

MacKinnon, now stable foreman for successful young trainer Kate Hargreaves, of Shelbourne, near Bendigo, showed fine touch to “get the chocolates” with Honour Before Glory at Shepparton recently.

Five-year-old mare Honour Before Glory (Changeover-VC’s Honour) was having her first start on Aussie soil and looked impressive in winning in 1.56-6.

MacKinnon, 26, was previously in a training partnership with Anton Golino at Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms.

Back home in New Zealand, MacKinnon was a regular face in the driving ranks prior to crossing the Tasman for Victoria in 2018.

And he has a wealth of experience behind him having worked for husband-and-wife team Bernie Hackett and Michelle Wallis, Robert Dunn, Paul Nairn and Steve Telfer.

His biggest success as a driver over here was when he tasted victory with Xebec in the Group 2 New South Wales Trotters Derby in 2019.

Young Queensland shining light Brendan Barnes has notched up a century of wins for the third consecutive season.

Barnes and his older brother Hayden were always destined to catch the harness racing bug with father Al still a prominent trainer driver after many years in the sport.

Brendan reached the ton when he steered Rock Fisherman (Pet Rock-Lady Jasperella (Village Jasper) to victory in the Welcome To The Creek pace at Albion Park on Saturday night.

Rock Fisherman is trained by Gemma Hewitt, formerly of Bathurst, who has decided to become a Queenslander for the time being after going north earlier this year with a team of horses.

Brendan, who started driving in the 2012/13 season, has now landed more than 560 winners-his tallies in recent seasons being 110 (2018/19) and 122 (2019/20).

This year has been a standout after landing his first Group One in mid-July when 250/1 shot Jeradas Delight (Bettors Delight-Jerada Ace (Christian Cullen) won the inaugural $100K Garrards Golden Girl in Brisbane.

The victory also gave popular trainer Jack Butler, who just happens to be Barnes’ boss, his first G1 triumph.

Butler is another who was formerly based in Bathurst and got lured to the Sunshine State-he made a lucrative decision to relocate in 2015.

And not to be outdone, Hayden Barnes landed his 450th career win on Friday at Albion Park when successful with Scotts Rain, giving young trainer JD Stephens her first winner.

Another to record a milestone was bubbly Victorian reinswoman Michelle Phillips, who brought up her 150th career win at last Friday night’s bumper Ballarat meeting.

Although she had a family background in the sport, Phillips learnt the ropes at the Gippsland Harness Racing Training Centre as the inaugural recipient of the HRV-Gippsland Community College Trots Internship.

Michelle scored on warm favorite Sebs Choice (Bettors Delight-Alta Calypso (Village Jasper) in the $20,000 Opus Group Pace. The pacer is prepared by John “Bulldog” Nicholson.

Luke Watson would have many special memories in his 500-plus career wins, but it would be a safe bet to say that after last Friday, five-year-old gelding Caulonia Terror now figures prominently.

Watson, based at Merbein South on the outskirts of Mildura, made the 900 kilometre round trip down the highway to compete in the $20,000 Swift Signs Pace at Ballarat.

After being shuffled toward the rear, Caulonia Terror (Western Terror-Caulonia Babe (Live Or Die) sprouted wings over the final stages to register a super impressive win.

Nearly a month previous, the pacer put up a barnstorming finish at the same track when third at bolter’s odds.

Watson said after the win it was a huge thrill to have a horse good enough to compete at this level.

“Enthusiastic owners in Peter and Avis Argiro were the first people to give me a horse to train about 23 or 24 years ago. We’ve certainly had a long association and they’ve stuck with me through thick and thin,” he told TrotsVision.

“The horse is a special little camper. Everyone at home has a soft spot for him. You wouldn’t believe that the yearlings beat him at home-he’s an ordinary track worker.

“But get him to the racetrack and he just clicks.”

Watson grew up in Broken Hill and cut his teeth at the local 602 metre track.

“I probably started helping my dad Ian and older brother Mark in the late 1980s. They would always be grabbing me to help out on fastwork days,” he said.

Over the years, Watson has been associated with some outstanding horses prepared by his father including former great mare Flojos Gold. There were others such as Alzona, but one of his favorite wins was with Loaded who gave him his first good race victory as a trainer with a win in the rich Mark Gurry feature at Mildura.

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink