It’s Tamworth time again for Team Mortlock

Easygoing central Victorian harness racing trainer Tim Mortlock and his family support crew have once again made the 1200-kilometre trek to be part of the festivities (and the racing) at Tamworth’s iconic Country Music Festival.

“We all like the country and western music, and there’s heaps of other entertainment through the carnival, so we’ve again travelled up with some of our horses,” Maryborough-based Mortlock said.

“The trotting club up here just goes out of its way to look after all the visitors. We’re camped right beside a barn where there’s electricity, and a shower and toilet block.

“Last year was the first time we’d come up with the horses, but we’d been up three previous times for the live music, markets, gallops meeting and all the other stuff.”

The 53rd Tamworth Country Music Festival will kick off officially this Friday (Jan 17). It’s the largest and longest country music festival in the southern hemisphere and over 10 days it transforms the city into a lively musical hub where thousands descend to explore pubs, venues, stages and street performances. Troy Cassar-Daley, Lee Kernaghan and John Williamson will be there along with Suzi Quatro, Kasey Chambers, Fanny Lumsden, Travis Collins and Amber Lawrence.

The Mortlock stable will have two representatives at tonight’s (Jan 14) Tamworth meeting – Outback Queenie in race four, the $9792 Bevan Douglas Pace, and Summerhill in race seven, the Moonshiners-Honky Tonk Bar Pace, also of $9792.

“Outback Queenie is probably our best chance because she’s been going nicely. She worked terrific last Thursday at home over 2400m and the trip hasn’t taken the edge off her,” he said.

“Last year we had four starters at Tamworth and then one at Wagga on the way home. We didn’t get a win but had a few placings and picked up $6800 which made the trip worthwhile.

“The stakemoney is unreal and if we’re lucky enough to make the Golden Guitar Final (G3) on Friday week (Jan 24), that’s a race worth over $50,000. Double The Hunter earnt $4000 last year for finishing fourth.”

This coming Friday, Mortlock will have representatives racing in two States – Outback Queenie at Tamworth and Tara Tuff at Maryborough.

“I’m not sure if I’ll race at Junee (Jan 25) on the way home or try and get to the Wedderburn meeting (Jan 26) instead because I love being there.”

Mortlock said his good mate “Sutto” (Leigh Sutton), now based near Sydney, would again be doing his driving at the Tamworth fixtures.

“He loves competing at Tamworth and he drove at their last meeting. He actually checked in with me a good while ago to make sure I was doing the trip again,” Mortlock said.

Accompanying Mortlock are his partner Julie, mum Helen and sister Hannah with her two children, Evie and Josie Williams.

As an extra thrill for the family, the girls have picked up “catch drives” in the pony racing features on both nights of the carnival. They competed in the recent Ballarat Cup where Evie won the Cup, her first race win, and Josie ran third.

The carnival last year had heatwave conditions, with temperatures in the low 40s, but Mortlock said with milder weather forecast from Thursday, conditions would be perfect!

“It’s nowhere near as hot this year, it’s quite comfortable.  So win, lose or draw, it’s guaranteed we’ll be having a big time,” Mortlock laughed.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink