The Cowra Harness Racing Club will be celebrating 100 Years of Pacing at the Cowra Showground, Racecourse and Paceway, with a race meeting on Sunday, September 8.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Over the last few weeks (and today), the Cowra Guardian has run a series of articles that arrange existing archival newspaper clippings and the club's historical records into stories that look at the faces and sponsors behind the club and the big events that have occurred during the club's centenary.
Over the past 100 years, there have been several notable faces involved in the history of Cowra's pacing, and Barry Doyle covered it exhaustively in his aforementioned 2010 series, "Golden Years of Cowra Harness Racing".
While we've covered several names and faces so far, here are some other names and stories Doyle covered that escaped our attention over the last few weeks.
DON CLOUGH
Clough was a trainer-driver and studmaster, who according to Doyle, also helped organise the Penrith meet's pacing programs.
He was rewarded with Living Legend status and the Meritorious Service Award for his contribution to local and regional trotting.
"I'd always lived with horses, so it was natural I grew to love them," Clough said in Doyle's article about him.
KEVIN MCFARLANE
Kevin McFarlane's stable handled several winners that graced the tracks of the Cowra Paceway. A trainer-driver who competed both before and after the installation of lights in Cowra, he enjoyed a long and durable pacing career.
McFarlane's name will forever be alongside Pearce's Pick in the history books for their efforts in winning the first registered Sunday race in Australasia, which took place in 1971 in Canberra.
Other horses that McFarlane worked with on his stable included Alti Wilver, River Park, Sandy Velu and Excelsior Bay.
PHIL ANDREWS
A trainer-driver well known for driving horses owned by the Berrys, he had a number of wins throughout the mid 1950's.
Andrews also bred Lawnrock and Lawn Wood, respectively described as a "champion" and a "top performer" by Doyle.
ROY TREASURE
A former boxer and described in Doyle's writing as "surely one of the most popular trainer-drivers in the Cowra District over the past 50 years", Roy Treasure got in the pacing game in part because of his brother Len, who was also a notable pacing name.
Treasure enjoyed several successes throughout his career, winning his first Harold Park race on Silvena, as well as taking out the Sapling Stakes at Albion Park with Gallymont Road.
He also won the Edgar Tatlow Stakes with Junction Road - described by Doyle as "probably his best horse" - at Harold Park.
WAYNE AND ANNE LAMB
Wayne and Anne Lamb, as the principals of Golden Gate Stud, which was based at River's Road in Canowindra, had a remarkable run with their yield from Caesar Blue Chip.
A horse bought in Philadelphia, winning eight races and earning six additional places from a total of 18 starts, including three wins at Harold Park, Blue Caesar Chip was sold to the Lambs, who would use it to help produce 1013 live foals, a figure which turned into 382 individual winners from 529 starters.
The Lambs were awarded the Bathurst Gold Crown by the Bathurst Harness Racing Club in 2001 for their contribution to the industry.
SPORTS PERSON OF THE YEAR
Harness Racing has also maintained a continual presence in the Cowra Sportsperson of the Year award, with Myree Beath winning the annual award in 1994-95 for her work as a reinswoman.
Meanwhile, Gordon Baxter and Anne O'Connor both received recognition for their administrative efforts with the Bob Barr Memorial Award in 1995-96 and 2002-03 respectively.
Local pacing personalities who received monthly awards included Michelle Crook, Peter O'Connor, Karen Glendenning and Andrew Baxter.
THE SPONSORS
As the photo above evidences, it is also true that several of the pacing events that have taken place in Cowra over the past 100 years couldn't have taken place without sponsors.
The sponsors and supporters of this year's event include Waugoola Motors, Cowra Bowling Club, Cowra Services Club, Lachlan River Produce, Power Tools Plus, Kriden Park and Cowra Shire Council.
A FINAL NOTE
The club would like to extend an open invitation to as many pacing supporters, volunteers and participants from the town of Cowra and further afield, who have kept this club going for the past 100 years, to Sunday's meet. Entry to the meeting will be by gold coin donation to the Cowra Hospital Auxiliary.
READ ALSO: