In the second leg of a two-part series, harness racing expert Darren Clayton takes a look back at the highs of the sport in 2023.
JULY
The Constellations Carnival lit up the Australian harness racing scene in July and the first Group race of the carnival saw Speak The Truth claim another feature win in the Queensland Sun.
It was a big win sitting parked to hold off Future Assured and Tims A Trooper and all three four-year-old’s would go on to contest the Inter Dominion later in the year.
Jewel Melody continued her affinity with feature race success at ‘The Creek’ when securing the South East Oaks, narrowly defeating Tin Tin Jo.
Nathan Turnbull claimed his first ever Albion Park feature when his three-year-old colt On Deadline was successful in the South East Derby, defeating the odds-on favourite Naturally Gifted.
After two rounds of heats, the Darrell Alexander Trotting Championship was decided when the Shane Graham-trained Jaccka Watch was able to lead throughout with Adam Sanderson taking the reins on the five-year-old.
Nathan Dawson continued his rampage in a week that saw him claim 16 winners that included his 200th for the season when guiding Uptown Beachgirl to victory in the Fleur De Lil Ladyship Stakes.
The hot week also saw Dawson drive a quintet at ‘The Creek’ in a midweek meeting, his third of the year and set another new milestone.
No other Queensland driver has claimed five winners at a meeting three times in a season, with those to have achieved the feat twice in a season being the late Bill Dixon, Grant Dixon (twice), Pete McMullen and Lola Weidemann.
Leap To Fame secured his biggest Albion Park victory to date in his career when equalling the track record over the 2138 metre journey that Swayzee had set just three weeks prior.
The record came in The Rising Sun in one of the most dominant four-year-old performances witnessed at ‘The Creek’ when claiming a big victory after sitting parked outside My Ultimate Ronnie.
Backing up one week later, Leap To Fame showed versatility to power home off the speed to claim an open company Group 1 triumph in the Sunshine Sprint, showing a devastating close out stop the clock in 1.50.2 for the mile.
Speak The Truth added more success to his resume when claiming the inaugural The Hayden, Queensland’s newest race, with slots purchased in auction earlier in the year.
The Shannon Price-trained gelding securing his spot in The Eureka, the victor gaining Racing Queensland’s slot in the $2 million Menangle feature.
The inaugural running of The Great Square saw James Rattray secure a big win with London To A Brick, a square gaiter he also trains.
Amore Vita claimed another Group 1 for Chris Alford when securing The Golden Girl with a narrow defeat over the Jack Butler-trained Manhattan.
Stopping the clock in 1.50.5, the time broke the Albion Park mare’s track record which had belonged to Uptown Beachgirl.
Chantal Turpin was the second Queensland trainer to 100 wins for the season, her 10th successive season of reaching the century.
The meteoric rise of Swayzee continued when Cam Hart and Jason Grimson combined to claim their second successive Blacks A Fake Championship.
Swayzee held off a determined Leap To Fame, who was travelling strongly until a wheel issue severely hampered his chances, with Grant Dixon unable to drive the gelding out and doing well just to stay in the bike.
Father-and-son combination, Wayne and Shane Graham, combined to claim the Queensland Oaks when Torque Like Motion rattled home in the closing stages to claim the Group 1 event.
The Lost Storm decimated his rivals in the Queensland Derby, levelling his rivals with a 54.2 second closing half in front to claim the easiest of victories.
Brad Hewitt claimed Group 1 glory in the Queensland Trotters Cup when his five-year-old mare Majestic Trio finished hard down the outside to set a new mares record at 2138 metres.
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