Caldow racks up 4000th career win

John Caldow achieved a significant harness racing milestone when he landed his 4000th career harness racing win aboard Time After Time (Huntsville) at Maryborough.

Trained by his wife Maree, Time After Time ($5.50) worked to the lead and despite being pressured mid race the three-year-old proved too strong for his rivals scoring comfortably from Reign Em In and Yuruga Lass.

Caldow said he thought the son of Huntsville would be hard to beat if he found the front.

“We found the lead easy enough and I thought he would be hard to run down but it threatened to go pear shaped when the pressure was applied mid race,” Caldow said.

The 54-year-old Caldow had to grow up quickly after his older brother Peter was killed in a car accident en route to a Mildura trots meeting in 1982.

Caldow’s father Jack survived the accident however he was seriously injured.

“Dad was in hospital for six months so I had to leave school at 13 to run the farm and do the 20-25 horses we had in work at the time,” he said.

“I look back now and wondered how I managed to do it.”

Caldow recalls the support he received from the local harness racing community.

“A lot of people from around Echuca gave me a hand,” he said.

Caldow now finds himself in elite company as only the seventh person in Australia to reach 4000 career wins.

The honour roll includes the late Gavin Lang along with Chris Alford, Daryl Douglas, Kerryn Manning, Chris Lewis and Grant Dixon.

“It’s a privilege to be among such great drivers but they are all good people as well,” he said.

Caldow has managed to achieve the feat without being the designated driver for any leading stable.

“I’ve never been the number one driver for any big stable, I’ve always been the number two or three,” he said.

“I’ve just had to keep working hard and make the most of my opportunities.”

Caldow acknowledged the support he received from prominent Bendigo horseman Bruce Morgan.

“Bruce would always put me on and he has trained some great horses such as Denver Gift and Mother Courage who beat the boys in a star studded Bendigo Cup,” he said.

Caldow rates champion pacer Golden Reign as the best horse he’s driven.

“He was a truly great horse and I won a Cranbourne Cup on him coming off 50 metres,” he said.

Caldow admitted the tally of 4000 wasn’t on his radar until recent months.

“I’m not one for stats or figures and I really gave it no thought until I had about 20 wins to go,” he said.

For complete race results, click here.

by John Dunne, for Harnesslink