Reigning Noel Smith Memorial Drivers Invitational champion Gavin Lang.
The Horsham & District Harness Racing Club is delighted to announce that the reigning World Champion reinsman Dexter Dunn will be competing in the time-honoured Noel Smith Memorial Invitation Drivers Championship at Horsham on Monday, March 9.
Dexter, who was presented with the World Championship trophy at Menangle last Sunday, will be contesting his fourth Noel Smith Series having won in 2012 and 2013.
Defending champion Gavin Lang, one of four Victorian representatives, will be attempting to win a record fifth Noel Smith title to break a tie with Daryl Douglas – each having won four times – Gavin doing so in 1991, 1992, 1996 and of course last year. The 2015 series will incredibly be Gavin’s 21st appearance in the competition.
Chris Alford, the only other reinsman apart from Gavin to win 5000 races in the Southern Hemisphere, will be after his third title having won previously in 1994 and 2011.
Young gun Greg Sugars (fifth Series) and first-timer Kate Gath complete the Victorian contingent. Kate is the eighth female driver to take part in the Noel Smith Memorial Series following in the footsteps of inaugural winner Gaita Pullicino, Kerryn Manning, Jodi Quinlan, Ashlee Siejka, Ellen Tormey, Amy Tubbs and Amanda Turnbull.
The 2015 Noel Smith Memorial will be the eighth successive series that has featured representatives from every state, the fourth to also include New Zealand and not surprisingly the Series is recognised as Australasia’s premier driving tourney.
New South Wales could have no better representative that James Rattray fresh from his second successive Inter Dominion Championship with Beautide, Colin Brown (Western Australia) debuted in 2014 as did Ryan Hryhorec (South Australia) while Rohan Hillier (Tasmania) will be making his second trip to Horsham having debuted in 2013.
The other first-time competitor, apart from Gath, will be Queensland's Bart Cockburn, who engineered a major upset with Majestic Mach over Avonnova in Queensland’s Inter Dominion heat last month.
Incredibly the 10 drivers have cumulative lifetime statistics of 20,085 wins and $151.4 million in prizemoney.
They will be competing over four races for a $1500 travel brochure, while fans on course will also have the opportunity to be matched to a driver and win accommodation packages – first prize (Deeluxe Riverspa Moama), second prize (Melbourne Parkview), third prize (Elm Tree Warrnambool) and also one for Victoria's trotting home, Tabcorp Park Melton.
The Championship recognises the contribution of the late Noel Smith, a Wimmera icon who was dedicated to Harness Racing at grassroots level.
Supporting the day is long-time sponsors Carbine Chemicals and Hygain, 2015 Hunter Cup winning owner Merv Butterworth through his company Decron Hoof Care, the pony races will be sponsored again by Kerryn Manning (Allbenz Park) and Michael Galenti’s Travel Insights will be handling all the travel arrangements for competing drivers in the Noel Smith Memorial Series.
Other sponsors include Grafx – Inc (Custom design helmets), Bertocchi smallgoods, Oringi protection wear, Flair Equine nasal strips, Mustad Aust. O’Dwyer horseshoes, Zilco, Melton Saddlery (best presented horse), Virbac Animal Health, Norton Estate Wines (local Lower Norton) and as usual the Victorian Bookmakers Association will be donating 20 $10 betting vouchers for the public.
Copies, both colour as well as black and white, of “Horsham Harness Racing History (1914-2014)” will also be on sale during the day from the Secretary’s office.
Apart from the four Invitation Drivers events there will be two other racing highlights, the $20,505 Pegasus Spur @ Woodlands Tontine Final for trotters and $8,505 The O’Keeffe for pacers.
The O’Keeffe, an event that honours the late Jim O’Keeffe, is another South-Western feature that has a rotating list of venues, was ingaurated in 1991 at Jim’s home track, Dalvui Raceway (Terang), and the 2015 edition will be the ninth held at Horsham who previously hosted the O’Keeffe in 1995, 1997, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2014.
First race is at 1.38pm and further information on the feature race meeting at Horsham can be obtained from Horsham Harness Racing Club executive officer Jo Cross on 0407 871 206.
