What she lacks in size and experience, little Kenzie Rattray makes up for in determination – and if she's any example, the future of harness racing in Tasmania will be in good hands!
At "five years and one day" Kenzie is the newest recruit to a rejuvenated mini-trots scene in Tasmania – and although she just had her first race drives at the weekend, Kenzie's already built something of a cult following.
And not without reason.
The pint-sized reinswoman and her much more experienced pony Kitty Whiteface missed out at Kenzie's first drive at Devonport on Friday night, but then put together a string of three wins – at her second appearance at Devonport, then a double at Carrick on Sunday.
"She's a world beater!" laughed Tas Racing Coordinator and Mini Trots enthusiast Wayne Yole.
"In her first drive she was just finding her way, but she came back and told me she'd 'beaten five home'," he said.
Kenzie was all smiles making her racing debut at five years and one day
"Three weeks ago, before she had her approval to drive, she brought Kitty to the races and showed me how she could harness her up, all by herself. She definitely doesn't want anyone helping!"
Kenzie is third-generation harness racing, the daughter of trainer-driver Gareth Rattray and trainer Melissa Maine. She's been driving ponies at home since she was three and has now followed older siblings Jackson Burke (13) and Lauren Rattray (7) into the mini trots.
The Rattray kids are following in their dad's footsteps, and among an emerging second-generation of harness racing mini-trots participants. Gareth (who's had up to 100 wins in a season as a driver) also began his career in the pony trots at age 6.
"She was ready to go a while ago, but she had to wait until she was old enough to get her licence," her dad Gareth said.
"Her birthday was on Thursday and she drove her first race on Friday – and I definitely think she was more excited about driving!" he said.
"She just loves it. She goes to school three days a week, and on the days she's not at school she trains Kitty every day – even through the winter," he said.
"Both the girls are horse mad – we bought them a cubby house a couple of years back, thinking we were doing a great thing. But they run straight past the cubby to get to the stables."
Yole said the Mini Trots in Tasmania was undergoing a welcome resurgence.
"We've got at least eight ponies at every meeting in the North, and a fantastic bunch of kids are coming through. Especially in the past 12 months, we've had a real surge in interest and we have another three or four kids who are all just about to turn five and get their licence," he said.
"We do make sure there is a bit of a preparation and training process involved – and at the end, they get their official plastic card to drive at the races, just like the senior drivers, which they love,"
Yole said the mini trots had been a great training ground for emerging drivers in Tasmania.
"Bronte Miller has just started driving in the past few months, and she went through mini trots. Adrian Duggan's son Jacob has just got his licence. The oldest of our current mini trots drivers, Brodie Davis is certainly going to be a driver, and Makenna Hillier won't be far behind.
"The pathway for these kids is just so important to the future of our sport," he said.
"But really more important than that is that the kids and their families just get so much out of it. The skills they learn, the life skills they develop, and the fun of doing something together that they all love – it's what makes our sport great and it just gives me a great buzz to watch that."
Terry Gange
NewsAlert PR Mildura