Ray Sellwood scoffs at the suggestion the TAB Eureka is a race for the big wigs.
It’s easy to take a quick glance at the results and assume that when you see the dominance of champions Emma Stewart, Clayton Tonkin and Luke McCarthy across the first three years of the world’s richest harness race.
But that annoys Sellwood, a former bush footy player and businessman from Undera in the Goulburn Valley, who says the race is the ultimate coming together of all types of participants in harness racing.
“Here I am, a bushie from country Victoria, standing here tonight with Kevin Seymour, John Hawkes, Rob Watson, the Summit Bloodstock team and so many others. I’d never meet these people if it wasn’t for this race,” he said.
“There’s five of us in the group who race Miki To Success and we’re living a dream in this race.
“Sure there’s heavyweights involved in the race, but we’re living proof anyone can be part of it. Anyone can breed or own a horse good enough to be part of the TAB Eureka.
“It’s just wrong to say it’s an elitist race.”
Sellwood said just being part of the race felt like a win despite Miki To Success finishing a close-up fifth to stablemate Bay of Biscay.
“We’re had the greatest ride this week, just the best fun up here,” he said.
“The people we’ve met, the places we’ve been, the dinners we’ve had … what a week and it’s all because we had a horse good enough to get a slot in the TAB Eureka.”
Miki To Success was one of last horses to land a slot, basically forcing his way into the race with a stunning Racenet Discovery Stakes win two weeks before the TAB Eureka.
“The race didn’t quite turn out the way we hoped, starting with drawing the outside, but we were thrilled just to be part of it and with how well he went,” Sellwood said.
“If you swap the runs (with Bay Of Biscay), I think we’d have won.
“It’s great to think we’ve got a horse good enough to win or run really well at this level and he’s still got it all ahead of him.
“This horse has been almost 50 years in the making for me. I’ve been around the game my entire life and bred this horse with my father.
“So, it has been a long time coming but the wait has certainly been worthwhile.”
Sellwood’s story was just part of a wonderful third running of the TAB Eureka in front of a packed and passionate Menangle crowd.
More than 10,000 general admission tickets were confirmed and then you can add in all the participants and invited guests and it was a heck of a crowd.
And a crowd that was both engaged with the brilliant on-course entertainment (how good was the Living End!), fantastic racing and accompanying night markets.
Many of the slot owners had their own events within the event, with marquees spread down the length of the long Menangle home straight.
Team Zav had what seemed like an army of guests, it was the same with the Summit Bloodstock & Aaron Bain team.
Hall of Fame thoroughbred trainer John Hawkes and his team with TAB Eureka runner Seathestars filled three tables in the official function.
In a real coup for the game, Hawkes’ sons and co-trainers Michael and Wayne Hawkes were also trackside. So the “real” boss, Hawkes’ wonderful wife, Jenny.
“I love the trots. Sitting at home watching them on a Saturday night (with John) after the races (thoroughbreds) are finished is our thing,” Jenny said.
“My favourite horse was King Of Swing. When John bought a yearling earlier this year, I asked Michael what it was by, and he said Captaintreacherous.
“I told him to go back and buy one by King Of Swing. We got one. He’ll be my favourite.”
Part-owners in both those yearlings are three of Sydney’s top jockeys, Tommy Berry, Zac Lloyd and Tyler Schiller.
Amazingly, all three were trackside at Menangle last night.
In just a few weeks, Schiller will ride Team Hawkes’ untapped sprinter Briasa in Australia’s richest race, the $20mil TAB Everest at Randwick.
Schiller admits to having a “real passion” for the trots and Lloyd was a convert last night.
“It’s the first time I’ve been here, how good is this!” he said.
How good, indeed.
Photo: Club Menangle (PacePix)
