Greg Burns was a tremendous team man during an illustrious Australian rules football career with St Kilda- and now he's playing a similar role at his son Damien's harness racing stables.
"Dad was only too happy to take our two runners to Stawell on Fathers' Day because I had to go and watch our son Brody play for Ballarat Swans in the first semi-final of under 13 footy," Damien said.
"We would have loved to have included the trots as well, but it was impossible. So, dad and a friend Lindsay Rogers, who's incidentally also a father, did the trip for us."
And "taking one for the team" was the winning formula for the pair, with the stable landing a Fathers' Day double.
Four-year-old mare Mornings (Dawn Of A New Day-Frans Jewel (Village Jasper) led all the way to win the $7000 Father's Day Pace, while Idle Times (Metropolitan-Princess Dilinger (D M Dilinger) zipped to the front and scored easily in the $7000 Talquist Trees Pace.
Idle Times brings up the second leg of a Fathers’ Day double for the Burns clan
Both horses were handled by in-form concession driver Ryan Duffy, who landed an impressive 67 winners last season.
Mornings and Idle Times have been in great form in recent weeks – Mornings has two wins and four runner-up placings to her name, while Idle Times has now won his past three starts, including a Melton victory on August 23.
"We have been having an excellent run with them and having some success does make it all seem worth it," Damien said.
"In our case, the show certainly wouldn't go on without everyone's help. Being involved in harness racing does cost a lot of family time, and I'm lucky I have the support of my wife Hayley and our kids (Brody, 12, and Alana, 9).
"My nephew Joel Grigg does the morning feeds, while our stable foreman Rowdy Duncan cleans out the boxes, does the night feeds and carts horses to the tracks. That leaves dad and myself to take care of the training.
"Dad also gets roped in to go to many of the race meetings because I'm a maintenance worker at Ballarat Health Service. He's also our farrier, and I dread the day he breaks down at that, because I'm pretty ordinary. I've told him when he gives that away, I'm giving away training!"
Greg Burns tasted success as a trotting trainer-driver in the 1970s, based at Snake Valley, 20 mins west of Ballarat, before becoming better known as a tough and fierce St Kilda centreman from 1978 to 1989.
He was celebrated for his determination to win the ball out of the middle (averaging 24.6 possessions per game in one season) and was often one of the few shining lights for the Saints, particularly when they languished at the bottom of the ladder from 1983 to '86.
Greg Burns at his best in his St Kilda days
Greg Burns won the best and fairest at the club in '84 and '86 and played 169 games (114 goals) before retiring in 1989.
Damien said while he enjoys race driving, it's not something that he feels he has to do.
"I occasionally drive to see what's going on with the horses-I guess just to ensure they are happy and all is good," he said.
"I think it's my responsibility as trainer, but I haven't got a problem in sharing the driving around. Besides I do seem to get put out fairly often!" he said.
Damien has enjoyed a productive training career for the relatively small numbers he prepares, with 56 wins and 115 placings for over $500,000 in stakes.
But he admits there's been times when the pair have gone in and out of the sport.
"I suppose it's in our blood because dad's grandfather, the late Ernie Nunn always had horses, and I remember when I was just a kid that dad had a licence.
"We've probably never been right out of them. We keep just ticking along and then suddenly we'll ramp it up."
However, it's sure to be full steam ahead for a while, because apart from the recent winners in Mornings and Idle Times, the stable has some excitement machines in bay trotter Belts (12 wins and 19 placings) and rising star 3yo Youaremy Sunshine (4 wins and 3 placings). The latter was a recent runner-up in the $300,000 G1 Breeders Crown at Melton.
"We plan to look at some of the Country Cups this season with Belts, starting with the Kilmore Cup. As far as Youaremy Sunshine goes, he's enjoying a short let-up, and then he'll be on the Derby campaign," Damien said.
Terry Gange
NewsAlert PR Mildura