Ray pops up with a welcome win

Veteran harness racing horseman Ray Searby, who was very prominent in the 1970s and ’80s, has bounced back into the winners’ circle.

Searby, 79, of Bulla, 25 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD, prepared three-year-old gelding Popcornfriday (Camlach-Christmas Cleo (Julius Caesar) to win at the Ararat Pacing Cup meeting on Sunday.

The likeable trainer’s previous winner was over 15 years ago, but to be fair, he hasn’t had many starters in that time. During some seasons he didn’t even have one starter. Records show his last winner was Rugged Prince who won at Geelong on October 22, 2006.

“I moved away from training horses a fair while ago to concentrate on breaking them in and selling them,” Searby said.

“At the moment I’m actually only training two. It’s probably an excuse to get me out of bed-it gives me something to do,” he laughed.

“I’ve always said that you don’t have to be crazy to have horses, but it does help! It’s a bit of a fantasy game because you’re always hoping and dreaming for that top horse to come along.”

But humor aside, the hanging tough temperament of the skilled horseman is still evident.

Popcornfriday made his race debut 12 months ago and caught the eye with a handy second placing in a 2yo event at Shepparton at 25/1.

The gelding had one more run and was then tossed out for four months. On his return he finished on the heels of the placegetters at meetings including Bendigo, Cranbourne, Shepparton and Wedderburn.

“He pokes along okay, and it was good to get the Ararat win. I was thinking of not going up myself because it was so hot and a bit of a trip. But Rita (Burnett) jumped to the front, and it was a nice win,” he said.

“I also had a filly in Our Senorita in the same race, but she galloped which was unusual. She can go along much better than her form suggests.”

The victory by Popcornfriday was a first in the sport for owners Kevin Sandiford and his wife Bernie, who previously trained and raced greyhounds. Watch Popcornfriday’s win below.

The pacer was bred by well-known Wedderburn vet Greg Hargreaves and was the first foal out of the unraced mare Christmas Cleo.

“Ray’s first winner was Pacing Pearl at St Arnaud in the late 1960s. We’ve done a bit of research as to what year it actually was and it seems it was in ’68 or ’69,” Hargreaves said.

“My father Ken bred Pacing Pearl (a half-sister to super mare Faye Maree, trained by Jack Hargreaves) and he leased it to Ray. Another one we had in Alverley also joined his stable and won a Geelong Guineas at 100/1- there was plenty of cheering because a few people backed him. The horse also ran in the Victorian Derby.”

Searby, a trainer of more than 100 winners, enjoyed a great deal of success particularly in the 1970s and early and mid-1980s with such top-liners as Rowdy Chief (Chapel Chief-Candy Potts (Watchman) and Dunme Dough (Bachelor Star-Logan Scot (Bon Adios), both horses winning 12 races and racking up a fair share of placings. Others to carry the Searby race colors -orange with yellow sleeves- included Try Alto and Alvance, which, among its victories, memorably defeated Victoria Derby winner Alphalite on one occasion.

“I would say that Alvance was the best horse I had. He was very strong. I remember we beat Carclew one time before it won the ’76 Inter Dominion in Adelaide,” Searby said.

“A square-gaiter in Kims Fantasy was another smart one we had about 25 years ago. She won three races as a two-year-old for us and ended up at Andy Gath’s and then later at Peter Manning’s stable,” he said.

“She finished up winning 20 races and, in those days, competed against Noopy Kiosk and co. Kims Fantasy has proven to be a good broodmare because now she’s the granddam of Plymouth Chubb.”

(Kims Fantasy, by Smooth Falcon, had nine foals-the first being Pocket Fantasy, by In The Pocket. Five times winner Pocket Fantasy has had 11 foals, with the third last one being the brilliant Plymouth Chubb (by Majestic Son), a winner of 14 from 15 starts, who is sidelined at present after undergoing surgery last month to repair a hind pastern.)

Searby said when he gave up driving “a good few years ago” he missed it for a while.

“I don’t really miss it now because it becomes a bit of a long hard road,” he said.

“I would travel everywhere back in the day. Up north to Mildura, down into Gippsland – you name it I’d be there.

“I was at Ascot Vale and trained at the Showgrounds and had a big team. Then it was around that time we had Alvance. I loved racing at the Melbourne Showgrounds where there was atmosphere. I’m out at Bulla now.

“There’s only the Melton track that I haven’t driven at. I’ve won on every other registered track in Victoria, but if you asked me to name a favorite, I’d have to say that Queensland’s Albion Park is nearly the best.”

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink