Veteran enjoying life down on the farm

Longtime Victorian harness racing trainer-driver Graeme Whittle is enjoying the consistent run of form by his six-year-old trotting mare Amunet (Majestic Son) – but the 80-year-old is still keeping a sharp eye out for his next “good one”.

Amunet has had three runs back this time in for two second placings and a win at Maryborough (Apr 10).

“She’s going along okay,” Whittle observed.

“She’s probably never far away because she has the ability to get to high speed pretty quickly and it often puts you into a good position early on.”

Whittle, who has a property at Coimadai, near Bacchus Marsh, said he was enjoying a pretty good lifestyle.

“I get up about 7.30 or 8am and do the horses – three in total at the moment,” he said.

“After that I am inside for lunch and always do the crossword.  At my age you just have to have a hobby and the horses keep my mind active and the body moving.”

Amunet was one of five foals to race out of one of the best Whittle has trained, former classy square-gaiter Melpark Sunrise.

“Don Smith bred all the Melpark named horses, including Melpark Sunrise, who was a super racehorse,” Whittle said.

“I remember Don had a lot of yearlings and he rang me one day and told me to pick one out and we’d race it on halves and that was Melpark Sunrise,” he said.

“She won 18 races, took out the 2yo and 3yo Trotter of the Year awards and I think she may have been the second horse to break two minutes at Maryborough with a time of 1.59.”

Since retirement from the racetrack, the mare has gone on to produce nine foals, with Giacomo (17 wins) and Melpark Sunshine (five wins, 47 placings) being the best.

“We’ve certainly had some challenges with Amunet, but hopefully it’s behind us now. She had her legs taken in a race and it’s been an ongoing thing trying to pinpoint her lameness and I think there may have been some arthritis as well.

“Our own vet was away at the time that it happened, so we went to a number of others and after numerous tests they thought it was something to do with the stifles. So the horse was in and out over a period of many months and then when we got to visit our vet, the issue was found to be with the hocks.

“Her second placings leading up to the Maryborough win were good, so we’ll keep picking out suitable races for her.”

Whittle has enjoyed good success over a long involvement of 59 years.  But the 1980s and 90s were certainly his time in the limelight, courtesy of some outstanding horses such as Tweedsmuir (Tarport King) and Joueur (Dale Spring).

“Tweedsmuir ended up winning 38 races, but a few of these were for Kevin Thomas up in Queensland. He was a lovely horse and probably just shy of the real champions back in that time like Pure Steel and Paleface Adios,” he said.

“Joueur finished up with 22 wins. He may have won a lot more but for galloping away in the standing starts which were always programmed back in that era.

“Those types of horses were just so easy to train. There was another one I had a big opinion of in Djerriwarrh (Malhana Gindin), a trotter owned by former AFL player in Kevin Morris. It won 18 and was the 2yo and 3yo trotter of the year.”

Djerriwarrh went on to win 27 races before being sold to the United States, and eventually retired with career earnings of $US192,000.

Whittle said harness racing had become a family affair with his wife Carol and sons Matthew and Ashley being involved.

“Matthew enjoys race driving whenever he can squeeze it in. He’s an engineer but has the role of project manager at the moment and is busy a lot of the time in Melbourne. If he does drive it’s at night meetings or the weekend,” he said.

“Ashley on the other hand enjoys the training side and owns Amunet. He will help when he can and does a lot of the fastwork with me.

Whittle, who has the rare distinction of having driven at the Melbourne Showgrounds, Moonee Valley and Melton, has bragging rights over son Matthew this season with three drives for a win and two second placings, while Matthew has one second from three drives.

“I’m going fine—I may be 80, but I feel like 40,” he laughed.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink