Dangerous and difficult but just a day at the office

A day at the office for Victorian harness racing Clerk of Course Brian Lincoln can go from mundane to adrenaline-fuelled in a split second – but it’s a ride he has been on for 50 years and isn’t planning to stop anytime soon.

Lincoln is one of Australia’s longest-serving clerks and certainly one of Victoria’s most respected, but came into the job in dramatic circumstances.

“I was rolled into it, really.  I was born into ponies and I used to be a pick up man at rodeos when I was only a kid. I’ve been into showjumpers and camp drafting all my life.  The gymkhanas I used to go to often had some trots races at them,” Lincoln said.

“I was at a gymkhana at Corio Oval at Lara one day and a good mate of mine, Fred Gillett, was the Clerk of Course for the trots.  There was a fall and Fred caught one of the loose horses, but as he tried to pull it up, Fred’s pony went one side of a goal post on the oval, and the standardbred went the other,” he said.

“Fred was at least at a strong canter at the time and it took him completely off his horse.  It was a terrible accident that left him out to it for three weeks and injuries he took a long time to get over.  He was never able to go back to Clerk of Course work.”

Lincoln said he’d received a call after Fred’s accident, asking if he’d be willing to take up the raceday duties.

“It is a dangerous job, but it’s an important job and a lot of people don’t understand that,” he said.

“You’re not there to look nice on your horse, you’re there in case something goes wrong.  You never want that, but that’s what the job is.”

Lincoln briefly shot to fame on social media in May after a notable recent “catch” when the bit broke on a horse driven by Jack Laugher at Melton.

“Yes, that was a memorable one – the bit had completely come apart and all I had on the horse was a piece of light leather strap over his nose.  Jack was very happy to see me! So I told Jack we wouldn’t be pulling up, we’d be going straight home,” he said.

“That’s what we did – we didn’t slow below a canter on the track and got back around to the stables pretty smartly!”

He said his most memorable catch was a Geelong, around 25 years ago.

“There was only one Clerk of Course on duty at any meeting in those days, but this time two horses were loose.  I was in a position to catch the first one, and then the second one happened to come steaming past, so I was able to drag the first horse along with me to grab the second one as well!  It’s not something I’d really want to do again!

“It wasn’t long after that the authorities changed the arrangements and we had two Clerks at each meeting from then on.”

Lincoln said it was certainly not a job for the faint hearted, but he’s a firm believer that Clerk of Course work is a partnership.

“There are two pieces to the puzzle. You are only as good as your horse and I think stock horses are far and away the best. My standouts are a horse called Rastus, the horse I am riding at the moment, Little Ant, who is by another of my favorites, Hu Is Aim, who I bred and worked with all the way through to his retirement.  He was a stallion, but no one would ever have known – but that’s another thing that has changed now, because stallions aren’t allowed to be used anymore.

“Stockhorses make the best breed for the job and quarterhorse crosses.  They’re bred to yard cattle so moving up close to another horse at speed is natural for them.  They’re sensible and cool and they settle down quickly.

“It comes down to temperament. You have to have complete confidence that your horse will do whatever you ask them, no questions asked, and I’ve always been lucky to have horses that I can trust in that way.

“I’ve never been injured at the trots, showjumping yes, but not at the trots.  To do the job is not a problem and you usually won’t get into too much trouble if you are capable and have faith in the horse that you’re on.”

Brian Lincoln was recognised with the Ray Beckley Award by the Geelong Harness Racing Club earlier this year.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink