Long-awaited first race win a popular one

Fellow drivers didn’t waste any time in congratulating passionate young reinsman Nic Horan when he recorded his first harness racing driving win at Wagga Wagga, in the New South Wales Riverina on Tuesday night (May 14).

“Finally! I was pretty rapt, but it was probably 30 metres after the finish line when Blake Jones said to me that I’d finally done it that it really sank in!” Horan, of Temora, said.

“A few times in the past I’ve had an ‘oh no not again’ moment when I’ve thought I’ve got there and it turned out I’d run close seconds, so it felt real once someone else said it,” he said.

And to drive home the point, fellow reinsman driver Jackson Painting also gave Horan a fist bump as the pair pulled up after the run.

Despite it taking nearly five years to experience that long-awaited thrill, the 24-year-old hobbyist has certainly shown himself to be capable enough in the sulky and is absolutely passionate about the sport.

Before his win he’d notched up 10 placings from only 70 drives since his first race in 2019 and his steer on Carmen On Bling (Bling It On) on Tuesday night for Ray and Jane Walker was to the letter.

“She’s been flying, but just drawing badly. I said to Ray on the way to the race that I’d probably get caught in the death-seat from the barrier (4) and that’s the way it turned out,” he said.

“They were running along, but I did get a little bit of cover from the favorite late, and when I pulled her out she just kept finding.”

To watch the race replay, click here.

Horan admits when he’s not working as a diesel mechanic, he can be found at the Walker stables, helping Jane with the team of five.

“My family had horses with Ray years ago, and my grandfather Ricky Horan had horses around 50 years ago,” he said.

“My dad (Les) and Ray have been close mates for 40 or 50 years – they actually started their plumbing apprenticeships at the same time and dad went on to do that, but Ray’s dad died in an accident and Ray went home to work the horses.

“He’s always been part of the family.”

Horan said none of his family made it trackside to see the win – but everyone got together to celebrate the next night.

“My mum Louise is the secretary of the Temora Club, but she gets a bit worried when I drive – she says she’s seen Ray tipped out too many times. I told them not to come because I get a bit nervous when the family’s there watching.”

Horan said he was grateful his employer at G and M Ag repairs, Geoff Oliver, was flexible enough to let him start early or work late to fulfill driving engagements.

“Ray told me when I first got more involved with the horses that I’d better go and get myself a job – you won’t survive with the horses.  So I’ve done that.  But I still think I’d like to give it a go full time one day.

“I just love it, everything about it – the thrill of being in a race with all the horses around you.  You have the team behind you with the training but once you are out on the tack you have got to fend for yourself.”

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink