“He started so many Inter Dominions and Group 1s and he would start them as good as he would for a maiden at Redcliffe,” Farquharson said.
“He was totally consistent and the drivers very much respected the job that he did.
“He was a big help to condition and maintain the track at Albion Park in addition to his starting duties in the early days.”
The role of starter is what Glen was best known for in more recent years, but he also wore a number of different hats in the sport.
He was the starter for 32 years and the curator for 15 before that, as well as driving the mobile for a period of nine years.
The admired Glen finished high school and went into the industry in 1976 as a 19-year-old looking after the trotting track.
He also prepared and drove a few standardbreds in his time.
Before he took on the role of the starter, Glen was licensed for just over a decade – driving and training pacers and trotters for his family.
When he looks back on his tenure in racing, one evening at “The Creek” when he was able to jump in the sulky behind Paleface Adios is what stands out as a career highlight, above the rest.
It was in the late 1970s when Glen was able to partner a champion of the sport in Paleface Adios.
“Before I did the starting, I was a licensee and trained horses that my mum owned in her name,” he remembers.
“I was a trainer and driver when I was a curator on the track and my highlight from that side of it was driving Paleface Adios on one occasion.
“I was friendly with Shirley and Colin Pike and Col gave me a drive on him at Albion Park.
“That was certainly my driving highlight of harness as it was near the end of his career.
“He was such a draw card in those days and he started off 35 metres over 1700 metres and it was a bit of a sprint race.
“He ran fourth and was motoring home, he did not quite get there in the end.
“I was on cloud nine for quite a while after driving a horse like Paleface Adios.”
As well as the drive on Paleface Adios, Glen said he trained and drove “a few winners” in his spell as a reinsman and conditioner.
In retirement from the racing industry, Glen and his wife plan to explore Australia – visiting places such as Tasmania and the Northern Territory – as well as heading to New Zealand.
Despite knocking off from the job for the last time on Friday of last week, Glen laughs that he still watched all the races on Saturday night from Albion Park, even though it was his “first day off”.
He is keen to get down to “The Triangle” track at Redcliffe and watch more races from the restaurant in the coming months.
By Jordan Gerrans
Our Location
07 3262 2577
Member Login
