Farewell to a legend of equine medicine

Revered equine surgeon Dr Alistair Maclean passed away at his home in Romsey, near Melbourne, this week.

Aged in his late 70s, the ever-approachable Dr Maclean was a familiar face in both harness racing and gallops for decades and was only be too happy to share his expertise and insight.

A true gentleman and an outstanding family figure, Dr Maclean was married to Susan, and had two daughters, Jennifer and Elizabeth.

He enjoyed nothing better in recent years than helping Elizabeth and his son-in-law, leading Victorian trainer-driver Chris Svanosio, around the family’s Romsey stables.

“I try and give them a hand as much as I can, while doing a bit of vet work,” he said in a Racing.Com interview.

“I’m probably restricted to helping out with a few on the jogger and other odd jobs like mowing. I maybe be slowing down a little – but I’m really cheap labour!” he observed.

Dr Maclean completed veterinary science at Massey University in Palmerston North in 1973 – it was the only university in New Zealand offering equine studies at the time. After graduating, he travelled to Australia to do equine surgery at Melbourne University.

“It was supposed to be for a year and I’m still living out here,” he told Racing.com.

“After 12 months at Melbourne Uni, I spent seven years initially at Bendigo, where I worked mainly on harness horses, and then over to Perth to work with the thoroughbreds.”

Dr Maclean returned to Melbourne Uni in 1982 and stayed there until 2006 when he turned 60.  He continued for another 10 years with a private equine referral practice at Werribee until he retired.

One of his fondest stories related to former superstar pacer of the 1980s in Popular Alm, trained by the Knight stable and partly owned by a group of Mildura friends.

“The horse fractured a hind pastern, and we put some screws in to try to help it heal. He came back and won his comeback race at Moonee Valley in 1984,” he said.

“I was trackside that night and still recall the great racecaller Bill Collins say-‘and welcome back Poppy’.

“It was just a great occasion. I was certainly very happy to have been part of it.”

Dr Maclean was also responsible for champion horse Sokyola, prepared by Lance Justice, returning to the racing scene and claiming successive Miracle Miles at Menangle in 2003 and 2004.

“That’s a standout because the horse got back to the highest level,” he said.

Stable foreman for the Svanosio harness racing team Ross Payne said when he shifted out in 1996, Dr MacLean was renowned as the best.

“I soon found out why – he was just a brilliant man and thoroughly enjoyed his veterinary work.  We were so lucky to have that expertise on hand,” Payne said.

“He loved being hands-on around the stables.  He’d jump on the ride-on mower or do the horses’ waters, just anything that needed to be done. We’re all certainly going to miss very much having him around here, that’s for sure.”

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink