Back in 2005, Chris Frisby realised one of his major harness racing dreams.
His talented son of Fake Left, Dinki Di, a family-bred gelding, won the Shirley Turnbull Memorial at Bathurst.
“For 18 years I have been trying to win this race,” Frisby said at the time.
“I knew Shirley a long time before that and she was just a lovely, lovely lady.”
Thirteen years later and Frisby still recalls fondly that victory, but says a TAB Inter Dominion start is challenging that day as a personal harness highlight.
His five-year-old gelding Our Uncle Sam last night jumped into the ID18 pacing final courtesy of a slashing second behind Tiger Tara in the third-round heat at Cranbourne.
“I’m so rapt. I have to slap myself in the face to tell if it’s real,” he said.
“You always dream of an Inter Dominion runner.
“I’ve always said Inter Dominion, Hunter Cup, Derbies, Oaks and the Shirley Turnbull Memorial are the races I want to win.
“The last one some may not have heard of, but I won it with Dinki Di and that was probably my biggest thrill. We smashed the track record and it was a race I always wanted to win.”
Our Uncle Sam qualified for the TAB ID18 final by running fourth on opening night at Melton, seven at Ballarat when covering ground throughout and a fast-finishing second on night three.
Frisby's son Anthony drives the horse. And another stride and he probably would have pipped Tiger Tara at the weekend.
“I might have took my head off and put a pumpkin on, but I’ve always thought that we’d be a chance in the Inter Dominion with the right run,” Frisby said.
“He’s going good enough and I don’t think I’ve ever had him any better than he is now. He’s made the jump, but you always need luck in running.”