Well-deserved double for popular couple

Ray Cross might be a veteran square-gaiting fanatic with the Midas touch, but he will still tell you that every harness racing winner is a good winner – and two is even better!

Cross, who turned 83 not long ago, and his wife Janelle recorded their first ever TABCorp Park Melton double on Wednesday night, but not before putting in a massive 12-hour day to record the milestone.

“People often say how does Ray do it? That’s easy—he just loves it!” Janelle quipped.

Punters sent out the first Cross runner a warm favourite and four-year-old mare Jessicas Story (Imperial Count) didn’t let them down with an all-the-way win in the Catanach’s Jewellers Trot, race 4, at 6.30pm.

Eight races and a bit over four hours later, in the Race 12, the TAB Trot, stablemate and favorite Countess Chiron (Imperial Count) also led from start to finish.

After leaving their home near Maryborough early on Wednesday afternoon, they finally got to bed at 1.50am.

“When we got home, we had to double rug the other ones and then there’s other little things you have to do, but it was great getting our first double at Melton—that wasn’t hard to take at all,” Ray said.

“It was a long day/night alright—when we left home it was pelting rain at home, but gladly there was nothing at Melton,” Janelle said.

“We had a comfortable trip home – the heater in our little truck works very well,” she laughed.

The former Queensland couple decided on a sea change a little over three years ago.  They now train from their property at Bet Bet, and thoroughly enjoy life as Victorians.

Although they may graciously disagree, they have certainly made their presence felt in the Victorian trotting ranks, winning 34 races with 73 placings for more than $245,000 in stakes money.

“The reason behind the move was because we could see more opportunities down here.  There were more and more races for trotters being programmed every week and you can try and place them a bit,” Ray said.

“We breed and own all of the horses we race, and we’ve had some nice ones over the years. We actually had to leave two broodmares behind when we shifted because we didn’t have room.”

The Crosses were previously based in a number of Queensland regions, including the Darling Downs, on the slopes of the Great Dividing Range, where Ray said chilly weather wasn’t uncommon in winter.

“It was still a big change here, though, but we’re okay now, we’ve adapted, and we dress accordingly.  But the first year we were here, everyone was asking how we’d adapt to the cooler weather, and I remember saying it wouldn’t worry me—like bloody hell it didn’t!”

With regular reinsman Jack McKinnon unable to get a doctor’s clearance to drive after being hospitalized with salmonella, Cross used driver Anthony Butt for his Melton appointments.

“We used Anthony a lot in the first 12 months we were down here. But he’s a big race driver and there were times he’d be away at Menangle or Brisbane and with our trotters we like to try and stick with the one driver.

“But calling up Anthony wasn’t a problem – he’s outstanding. He can work a horse out real quick.”

The Cross stable has four racehorses in work at present – all trotters.

“We did have one pacer early days in Calvert Hot Shot. He won at Bendigo in 54 and then Ballarat in 55 and we got a nice offer, so we sold him. He went back to race in Queensland and has won a fair few races up there,” he said.

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink