The Angove family will honour much-loved harness racing participant Mick Clover with a special breeding service for the winner of Monday’s inaugural Mick Clover Redwood Prelude 2YO Trot at Maryborough.
Local trainers Brad and Chris Angove have generously donated a free service to their stallion Sundons Courage, with the family covering all associated costs.
Brad said Clover, who passed away recently, had been a valued part of the Maryborough harness racing community and played an important role in helping the Angoves develop their young trotters.
“Mick Clover was a great man. The Maryborough club, that’s our home track. We’ve had a lot to do with Mick over the years,” Brad said.
“He’s one of them, great, great people. I’d often talk to him, I would be like, ‘Oh Mick this one is out there doing this on the track’, and he would give you ideas of different things that he’s done over the years.”
“He’s one of those great men that it’s going to be really missed. He one of those great mates and one of those great, great people of harness racing and I know I’ll miss him, I’ll miss him a lot.”
Brad hopes the race can become an annual feature leading into the Group 1 Redwood Classic on October 31, creating a lasting tribute to Clover while encouraging more people to breed and race trotters in Victoria.
“It’s going to be a prelude to the Redwood and maybe we can make it something special every year where we can make it into one of them races that, you know, people will strive to win with their two year old trotters leading into the Redwood,” he said.
“Let’s make it something special to remember him forever.”
Chris Angove will line up with Regal Gala from barrier one in Monday’s inaugural edition, and Brad admitted he would love to win the first running, with the service then going to the runner-up.
“I kind of now really want to win it on Monday with Regal Gala because I want to be the first two-year-old to win it. And then the second two-year-old will get the service, so it works well,” he said.
However, Brad stressed the main aim was to establish the race in Clover’s honour and support the future of the industry. He is happy for the service to go to anyone willing to use it, even if the winner does not want it.
“If the winner of the service doesn’t want it, I’m happy for it to go to anyone. If someone’s willing to breed a horse and we can get our numbers up, that’s ideal for everybody to keep it all going,” he said.
The Mick Clover Redwood Prelude 2YO Trot is Race 1 at Maryborough on Monday, scheduled for 12.54pm.
