T Bone Raw fries the opposition

Owner Colin Harvey has been kept on his toes getting T Bone Rawhide to where he is today.

The six year old gelding would have tested most. But Harvey, who does all the early work with the trotter before he heads to Nathan Williamson’s stable, has stuck with the ship.

“He’s always had a bit of shit in him. That initial preparation takes a lot (of energy). I always get him ready,” he said.

“With this preparation I had to take him out to the track, jog him for a quarter of an hour solid with his gear on then take him home, put him in the cart and take him back to the track. Even after that he’d still try and boot you out during his first two rounds. I did that six consecutive days in a round before I got round the track without him trying to boot me out.”

T Bone Rawhide rewarded Harvey today when he won his first race at Ascot Park in trying conditions.

Harvey, who has trained twenty six winners in his own right still holds a training license, but decided a larger stable was probably what the horse needed.

“I gave him to Nate because it’s impossible at home. He needs to have another horse right beside him to keep his mind occupied because all he does is put the boot in.”

Harvey farms with his wife Pat at Kuri Bush which is between Brighton and Taieri Mouth and the best horse he trained was Tax Credit. He raced the Sir Dalrae gelding with the late Colin Baynes.

Colin Harvey, Nathan Williamson, T Bone Rawhide and Chelsea Faithful    -Bruce Stewart photo

After running tenth on debut Tax Credit won his next three races in a row before running sixth in a heat of the Southern Supremacy Stakes at Winton.

“I came down to Winton and you Southland buggers ganged up on me. I drove him myself. I had a bad draw and went back. Every time I went to improve they yelled out ‘here he comes’ and moved out in front of him.”

T Bone Rawhide is by The Pres out of the Penrod Eden mare Canya Catchme, a breed that Doug McCormick developed which features some pacing blood.

“When I went to breed one, Jack Smolenski told me to breed him to Bachelor Star (a pacer) for stamina. He told me he was a better horse underneath than Arapaho. We think that’s put the staying trait into the family.”

So how did Harvey come up with the name?

“At one part we thought he wouldn’t be more than dog tucker so that’s where the T Bone came from (laughter). I wanted to leave him as T Bone but Pat said you can’t do that so we put the Rawhide after it. He going to be a top stayer and we’re not frightened by a bit of distance.”

Bruce Stewart