Justice prevails in back-to-back wins

Some things are worth more than money and there’s no mistaking the value that recent winner My Justice (Western Edition) has brought to his 83-year-old harness racing trainer Trevor Dummet.

Dummet bred and broke in the now seven-year-old – but there’s been a lot of water flow under the bridge since then, with My Justice only finally making it to the races a little over 12 months ago.

“Like everyone, I went into the game to make a million dollars!” Dummet laughed.

“It hasn’t quite worked out that way – now I think if you’re keeping your head above water and having some fun that’s probably the best of it, and I’m doing that,” he said.

“I broke this fellow (My Justice) in, but we had a few things happen that meant he didn’t get to the races as soon as he could have.”

My Justice has had four starts this preparation, and has won his past two, first at Cranbourne (Mar 3), then in a heat of the Southern Cross Feeds Sprint Series at Geelong (Mar 10).  The pacer has drawn barrier 4 in the series final at Geelong tomorrow night (Mar 16).

Dummet said a training accident at his property at Snake Valley, near Ballarat, a few years ago, had been a major setback.

“A group of kangaroos that are around the property spooked the horse and I got tipped out and ended up with a cracked vertebra,” he said.

“Around that time Ellen, my wife wasn’t well either and not long after my accident she passed away – that was three years ago next month. And then last September, we had a storm through that blew half the roof off my stables, and that wasn’t covered by my insurance.

“I was still trying to work My Justice after that, but my family put the foot down and I thought I’d better use my brains this time! So now my son Warren is helping me out – I couldn’t be happier.

“I still bring them up, work them on the jogger and I can do what I need to and put a shoe on if I have to.  I get them ready for him and Wal’s done a great job with My Justice to get him ready for the races. His wife, Jenny and her mum Marlene are a great help to him, too.”

Dummet said strong family involvement in racing generally had given him his entry into the sport.

“I’ve always loved horses, and my family all had them, gallopers mainly, when I was growing up,” Dummet said.

“My dad was a bit of a punter, and we kids got interested from him – mind you, I wasn’t much of a punter!

“My brother Frank was a champion jumps jockey (Frank won the Grand Nation Hurdle on Green Cape in 1939 and on Hush Hush in 1950) and then back in the 1980s I bought this property at Snake Valley with one of my other brothers.  We started with a few horses and for me, it was always harness racing, not the gallopers.”

When My Justice made it to the track last year, it was the first Dummet had raced in nearly 20 years – his previous being Oliver Chet who retired in 2004.

“’Ollie’ was certainly my best horse (Oliver Chet won 5 and was placed 15 times from 25 starts for Dummet).  He’s 29 and he’s still here with me.  You couldn’t get a better horse – every night I go down to feed him and he rubs his face on me – they give you a lot.”

Dummet didn’t make it to either of My Justice’s recent winning performances – “Cranbourne is just too far, and Geelong was on pretty late” – but there’s no doubt he’ll be at Geelong for the final.

“I had to watch the Cranbourne one on a friend’s mobile phone because I was at my Friday punters’ club with the boys, then the Geelong race I watched on my tablet.  But a win really stirs you up!  I’ll be there for the final for sure – my granddaughter has told me she’ll take me down,” he said.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink