Horsham will today host the running of the time-honoured $25,000 Tontine Championships for pacers and trotters on a huge, 10-event card.
The West Side Horsham Tontine Championships are jointly conducted on a rotational basis by the South West Outer Zone Clubs (Ararat, Hamilton, Horsham, Stawell and Terang) with the support of HRV.
The first Tontine series for pacers was run in 1981 and saw the winner, Kiwi Conference (Peter Rothacker), race four times in 12 days to earn the Tontine crown in a last-man-standing contest through heats, semi-finals and a final.
Pictured: Flashback to Horsham 2015 when Franco Jaeger took out the Tontine Trotters Final for trainer Dean Braun and driver Chris Alford.
The 2021 editions have attracted very strong fields, with a number of very promising up-and-comers pitted against more-seasoned performers with the score on the board.
Trainer Emma Stewart stable has three runners in this year's pacing division and has provided her thoughts:
"Cant Top This (Kate Gath) is a nice horse having his first run back off a short break after the Vicbred Super Series Final. We were really happy with his racing last preparation, so hopefully he improves again this time in," Stewart said.
"Carlas Mach (Jason Lee) draws nicely for him as he has a lot of speed and from gate eight follows out a fast beginner.
"Krafty Bart (Jack Laugher) is a horse we really like. He has had no luck in his last couple of starts but shows plenty of ability and I think is the pick of our runners."
Young Terang trainer Paddy Lee will take on Stewart's trio with the lightly raced four-year-old gelding Jilliby Selwood (Glen Craven).
"He's from the same family as Jilliby Bartel (11 wins, $89,919) and gets his name from my uncles - John, Des and Harry, who are mad Geelong supporters," Lee said. "While he's three from three, the Tontine represents a big step-up in class. It's a very strong field but he should run a good race and with luck be in the placings."
Hopes of a local victory in the Tontine, rest with two runners for the Aaron Dunn-Steve Blacker training combo.
Kenya NZ (Sam Barker) comes into the race as an emergency after the scratching of Dress Sense and is ideally drawn in gate one. Dunn will drive his own horse Shady Azz (12) in the race, fresh from an impressive victory on Ballarat Cup night.
Paddy Lee will also be represented in the West side Horsham Tontine Trotting Championship with former NZ mare Milly An Eyre.
"I have been really pleased with her improvement over the last month and from the pole gets the chance to show her best. Once again, though, this is a very tough race. If she steps and trots all the way I will be pleased if she can run a place," he said.
Lee's cousin Matty Craven saddles up Lotamuscle NZ (4) in the Trot with James Herbertson to take the reins.
The five-year-old son of Muscle Hill (US) scored impressively at Hamilton when making his Aussie debut and finished strongly to finish second at Stawell last Monday. He's sure to appreciate the 2700-metre trip around the spacious Horsham circuit and looks the one they'll have to beat for the Tontine crown.
Veteran Horsham committeeman, owner, trainer and breeder Bill Deleeuw will be trackside on Monday afternoon and hoping for a touch of deja 'vu when Lotamuscle lines up in the big race.
Some 30 years ago at Stawell, the now part-owner of Craven's charge, cheered as his son Lance reined Lily Low to victory in the 1991 edition of the Tontine Trotting Final for the Bendigo Harness Racing Training Centre .
There have been many changes to the Tontine format since it's inception - a switch from standing starts to the mobile for pacers, introduction of a handicap series for the trotters in 1985, a $10,000 clean sweep bonus, the brief inclusion of Geelong and Ballarat clubs into the mix, stakemoney parity for both gaits, separate venues for the pacers and trotters, a flirtation final at Melton in 2013 and, more recently, the Tontine as a one-off feature event.
But some remain constant during the 40-year history of the Tontine - a decent payout to the winning connections and the race often being a springboard to bigger and better things, like past winners Kentucky George (33 wins), Noopy Kiosk (34), Lombo Rapida (27), Acacia Ridge (22), Flaming Flutter (27), The Godfather (20), Supersonic Miss (17), Great things Happen (16), Deltasun (19) and Major Times (18).