Family cheers home dashing win

Central Victorian hobby harness racing trainer Wayne Gretgrix got a belated Christmas present at one of his favorite country tracks this week.

Gretgrix, who trains at Sebastian, near Bendigo, was the toast of his family when four-year-old mare Dashndot took out the David Young Victoria Olive Grove Pace at Boort on Sunday afternoon.

“My brothers Andrew and Brendan and myself used to have a go at the quaddies each week. Then somehow it just went from there into deciding to get a horse,” Wayne said.

“A couple of years ago I went to the wedding of a great mate in Craig Northcott, and we were seated on the same table as another trotting guy Noel Tyndall.

“We got talking and Noel said he’d just bought three horses and didn’t need that many so he offered us one, which was Dashndot.

“We went out and had a look at her and thought that with a bit of time, she might be okay. So the three of us went in shares along with our dad Doug.”

Despite being well known in harness racing circles for most of his life, Dashndot (Follow The Stars – Celevale Lombo (Village jasper) is the first horse in many years the former central and northern Victorian HRV starter Doug Gretgrix has had ownership of.

“It’s the first horse dad has been in for over 30 years. He trained horses years ago and I remember growing up out on the farm at Wooroonook between Charlton and Donald, there was always a horse around the place,” Wayne said.

“Dad also tried his hand at running a stud and he stood Sheffield Spring. When he sold the farm in 1988, he got the starter’s job and thoroughly enjoyed that. He only gave that away in the past few years.”

Wayne said Dashndot had grown into a nice mare who always “tries her heart out”.

“The Boort run was only her fourth race start so with her attitude of giving her all, she should continue to give us a bit of fun,” he said.

Dashndot was driven by Shannon O’Sullivan and started at the good odds of 12/1.

“That was my first winner for two years and one day (Manassa Sky won at Echuca on Jan 1, 2020). I don’t ever have a big team in work to be honest, but really when I reckon we might have a show, there always seems to be one better bob up,” Wayne said.

“But we’re always out there doing our best.”

Wayne first took out a trainer’s licence in 2008 when he was living in the Riverina.

“We lived at Deniliquin for many years and just up the road from our home there was a trotting track in the middle of the racetrack,” he said.

“That was pretty handy and we’d go over the border to race in Victoria at tracks like Shepparton and Cobram. I’m a gardener by trade and do general maintenance work, which works in really well with doing the horses.”

Wayne said he especially enjoyed competing at meetings run by small clubs like Boort and Birchip.

“I remember going to the meetings with dad and later playing football when a lot of the grounds back then were inside the trotting tracks. It’s just a nice feeling to get back to those small towns.”

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink