Educated decision was a winning one

NSW harness racing trainer Grant Forrest just loves being part of the Victorian Redwood all-trotting carnival at Maryborough, but he pulled the right rein when he decided to compete at another track on his way home.

Forrest, a teacher from Mount Fairy, between Canberra and the coast, makes no secret that he’s an avid fan of the square gaiter.

“It’s over eight hours’ travel time each way, but I get down to the Redwood as often as I can, I just enjoy it so much,” Forrest said.

“I love the square gaiters.  I’ve got 18 horses in work and 14 of them are trotters.  I do sometimes question myself and on occasions I just have to put it down to ‘borderline stupidity’,” he laughed.

And not only does he predominantly train square gaiters, but 19 of his 22 broodmares are, you’ve guessed it, former trotters.

The two-day Redwood Carnival is rightfully regarded as the greatest trotting event in the Southern Hemisphere. Forrest made the journey to compete on day one last Friday (Oct 28).

“I got a third placing with Thebestbourbon (Sam Bourbon FRA) and she was the best of them. The others went okay. I had the horses stabled with a good friend Tim Mortlock and it was great to catch-up with everyone again,” he said.

But Forrest’s master stroke was on his return trip entering his four stablemates at the Cobram meeting the following Monday (Oct 31).

Forrest landed a runaway victory with Thebestbourbon in the opening event, the $7,000 Barooga Sports Club Trotters Handicap.

After stepping cleanly from the 10-metre handicap, the four-year-old mare, bred by Yabby Dam Farms and now raced by Forrest, settled in a handy spot and travelled nicely.

“I was very happy the way she went—and in winning she picked up her VicBred bonus. I got to the meeting very early and it just gave them a bit of time to settle down,” Forrest said.

“From there it was a six-hour drive home and it rained for three hours,” he said.

“It was difficult trying to avoid all the potholes because at night it’s hard to see them. Then close to home, our road was flooded. I went very slow, but it was a bit hairy.”

Forrest, a fourth-generation industry participant, says he doesn’t do a great deal of school teaching these days.

“I really enjoy it, but it’s more of a part-time job because I’m so busy with the horses. I have a helper at the stable Paula Sapio, but I do all my own shoeing and then there’s all the work of the coming stud season,” he said.

“My great-grandfather was in the sport in the 1930s, then my grandfather and dad got into them in the 70s. Dad had trotters but stopped training about six or seven years ago and now he helps me out wherever he can.

“Probably our best horse was a horse dad trained called Classic Comment. He won about 20 races including the Lightfoot Laurels as well as the Cobram Cup, where he beat a great horse in Touch Of Flair.

“There’s been some other good ones, like Forrest Spider. This year we’re standing Conon Bridge at stud. He was NZ’s two-year-old of the year and won the Breeders Crown over here. He went to FFA class.”

Forrest, who has been at Mount Fairy for about four years, has a 170-acre property with a 1000m track.

“We’ve put a lot of money into it. We’re enjoying it, but we took July off and turned the horses out.  Up our way you experience a proper winter!  There’s freezing cold days, rain and even snow—and that’s no fun for training horses!”

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink