Astute Echuca horsewoman Faye McEwan admits to being aged 70-plus, but certainly has no plans of slowing down anytime in the near future!
The popular harness racing trainer says she’s kept busy with her team of three square gaiters and that’s the way she likes it.
“I’m keeping active and I enjoy catching up with friends at meetings for a bit of a chat—otherwise I’d just be sitting around home watching television,” she said.
And Faye has plenty to talk about at the moment with her stable star Majestic Time (Majestic Son– Leavemein (Dream Vacation) posting his third consecutive win earlier this week.
The four-year-old gelding, driven by Josh Duggan, took out the Bill Farrell Memorial Trotters Handicap at Cobram on Monday afternoon.
Rod Booker presents the trophy for the Bill Farrell Memorial Trotters Handicap
Photo Barry Bennett and Cobram Harness Racing Club
Majestic Time was sent out a warm $1.80 favorite and didn’t let down his followers with a comfortable win. He certainly had the form on the board leading up to the race, with victories at Shepparton and Echuca in the space of eight days.
“He’s a lovely horse who seems to be learning a little more at each of his runs,” Faye said.
“We decided to give him a break in September-October and that did him the world of good as he’d run eight placings prior to the three wins,” she said.
“He can be a smart little rooster, but he’s not as smart as he thinks he is.
“I’ve had to mix it up a bit where I start my fast work on the training track as he got to know at which particular spot I expected him to accelerate.
“Then in his races he would wait for them if he was bowling along out in front; or otherwise just run with the herd when he was back in the pack.”
Faye said a pleasing aspect of the Cobram victory was Josh (reinsman) told her that Majestic Time was all ready to go when the opportunity came to use the sprint lane.
“Hopefully the penny may have dropped and I think he has a fair share of ability,” she said.
“Undoubtedly one of his greatest assets is his brilliant speed from the standing start tapes. I intend to target these races when I can because it’s a pretty good weapon.”
Faye McEwan
Faye races Majestic Time in partnership with Kevin Inglis, along with Leo and Genie Curtin.
“I train out of Kevin’s property, which has a 1200m track with a gentle, undulating natural sand surface and it’s not only good for their legs, but toughens them up as well,” she said.
“I met the Curtins on a bus during the Perth Inter Dominion carnival in 2017.
“We got talking and we arranged to meet up sometime later at the Maryborough Redwood Day. It was there that Leo suggested the four of us should become owners in a trotter – he actually said we should buy two!
“So I chased up Patrick Ryan because I knew he had some for sale, but a guy from Queensland had beaten me to the punch.
“Patrick later caught up with me and said he had another one at home that was going on the market that was a bit small and sometimes a ratbag.
“So a few days later on the way to a Shepparton meeting, we all called in and Patrick put the horse in a cart and trotted him along for us. We took him there and then, and he’s proved to be a good money spinner.”
Majestic Times now has four wins (all with Duggan aboard) and 15 placings for $32,000.
Faye, sister to a former harness racing great in Neville Welsh who trained and drove over six decades, has herself established an impressive reputation.
She has trained 529 winners for $2.1 million in stakes, over a period of 55 years. Some of her notable performers included the brilliant Posh Jaccka who won the Wimmera Oaks and Hamilton Cup, later being sold to the USA where she continued on her winning way for then New Jersey horseman Peter Walsh (now back here based at Shepparton).
The Ok Bye-sired mare finished with 29 wins and 43 placings for earnings over $330,000.
Other winners for McEwan include Meet Me In Paris, On The Beach, Call The Cab, Stop The Bus, Centonic, Young Samurai and Cairn Rock.
Faye said that she would continue to train horses for as long as possible.
“I would encourage anyone who is around my age to keep going, keep active and not just sit about. I
have the perfect excuse to be out and about because when harness racing gets in your blood, it’s
very hard to get out!” she said.
Terry Gange
NewsAlert PR Mildura