At 74 years young, legendary Bendigo horseman Brian Gath has had harness racing fans winding back the clock over the past week.
Gath, arguably in the best half dozen Australian reinsmen of all time, is approaching six decades in the sulky but was still at his front-running best in two different States – Victoria and New South Wales.
He coerced six-year-old gelding Lewis Lane (Somebeachsomewhere-Star Chase (Torado Hanover) to the line at Shepparton last week and then perfectly rated former Kiwi black mare Bettor Enforce (Bettors Delight-Their Excuse) to land a tough win at Wagga at the weekend.
"I still get a big kick out of driving winners that's for sure, mainly because of the people you drive for. They're mostly friends or people who I've known a long time," he said.
The Hall of Famer's two latest winners were for staunch stable owners Norm and Joan Visca, and long-time friend Tony Peacock.
"The Viscas are terrific people who love the sport – and they also used the Christian name of our 17-year-old grandson Lewis as part of the horse's name, which was lovely. Young Lewis was at the sales for the first time, bouncing around like a typical energetic kid, when they bought Lewis Lane," Gath said.
"Tony has been around for ages and it's nice to see he has a handy mare in Bettor Enforce. She's tough, good-gaited and it was lovely to win on her. The drive was my first winner at Wagga since the new track was opened."
While the skill certainly hasn't waned, the customary flamboyant style of B. Gath at his best has, some would say sadly, been curtailed. The jiggling, twisting, encouraging style of yesteryear (with more than a little bluff) invariably gleaned that extra bit from his charges – but was frowned upon by authorities.
In a driving career which was launched with a win behind Tobacco Smoke at the Royal Melbourne Show in 1960, Gath now has close to 3500 winners to his credit in Australasia and the Meadowlands, USA.
"I can remember that show race very clearly. My brother Neville decided I could take the drive and everyone thought Opal Chief, who was on fire at the time, was a good thing. Well I got up and beat him," he said.
"My first (non-show) race winner was with Minyip Wheat at Stawell. It was one of dad's (George) horses and owned by Pearl Kelly.
(Kelly was Australia's first licensed reinswoman in 1916 and once finished 3rd on the Melbourne drivers' premiership).
While Gath has been around horses for as long as he can remember, he could have easily been lost from the sport to the thoroughbred code.
"I was an apprentice jockey for about 12 months when I was a teenager and I rode some winners too. It was fun and at the same time there was a youngster named Harry White, who went on to become a household name," Gath said.
"My weight became an issue, and dad needed me because he was training a big team of around 25 horses, so I came back home."
But it was a trip to Sydney in his early years that perhaps really fuelled Gath's love for harness racing.
"I was at Harold Park for the 1960 Inter Dominion when that mighty horse Caduceus won the final. I was only young, and I was pushing the sulky and gear in while brother Neville had our horse that was in another race," Gath said.
"There was 50,000 screaming fans and they were crammed in sardine-tight at every vantage point. Caduceus (who won 82 races in his career) got one of the most deafening ovations you'd ever hear when he went over the finish line. Then he had to survive a protest!"
Gath said there and then, he dreamt of winning an Interdominion final.
"We all have ambitions and two others for me were to be the leading driver in Melbourne and also to win a Miracle Mile," he said.
"Well it took me years to win the drivers' premiership, and it was very hard work! I then did it a few times again later. I got the Inter Dominion triumph with a favorite horse of mine in Markovina in the inaugural Moonee Valley series in 1978.
"He was a good, really good horse with unreal acceleration. But he had a bad habit of pulling up if you hit the front too soon. I don't know if it was because he thought the fun part was over.
"But he was a marvellous horse, only a little fella but with a very long barrel. It seemed like he would bottle up his speed and then explode. Another memorable win by Markovina was at the opening Moonee Valley meeting."
1978 Inter Dominion Final Replay
Gath said the third career goal-winning a Miracle Mile-was his most difficult.
"It took me so long. From memory I think I may have had at least three goes at it," he said.
"I remember when I got a call from Barry Purdon one year asking me to drive Chokin. He was an outstanding horse at the time, and I was pretty happy. But being only young, the horse wouldn't settle for me in front and virtually become uncontrollable.
"I got my 'mile' win in 1992 with Franco Tiger, trained by Glen Tippet, in 1.56-7. We did have to survive a protest by the third horse Jack Morris for alleged interference – it was the first protest in the then 27-year history of the Miracle Mile."
After a hearing lasting nine minutes, stewards dismissed the objection.
1992 Miracle Mile replay
Gath said he was most happy these days just "doing his team of horses on the farm" at Longlea, which he and his wife Denise have called home since 1985.
"I never want to stop. I really enjoy the training side of it and both myself and our son Matthew have nice teams in work at the moment," he said.
Terry Gange
NewsAlert PR Mildura
P 0498 490 672
W www.newsalertpr.com.au