Team Teal was prolific and Jason Lee triumphant in the commemorative International Women’s Day silks as the stars stepped out for Horsham’s annual drivers series yesterday.
Lee amassed 28 points to win on a countback from second-placed Jodi Quinlan in a hotly contested four-heat Decron Horse Care Noel Smith Memorial Invitation Drivers’ Championship.
In addition to the racing, International Day for Women was celebrated when 50 guests assembled for ACE Radio and Horsham Harness Racing Club’s third annual Ladies Day @ The Trots in support of the Team Teal campaign, which raises awareness and money for ovarian cancer research.
Picture: Paul Carracher, The Weekly Advertiser
For a six-week period from February 1 each year, female drivers throughout Australia and New Zealand wear teal pants out on the track and every time they land a winner it’s $400 from their governing bodies and wagering partners into the kitty for WomenCan and ANZGOG.
Guest of honour at Monday’s function was Duncan McPherson OAM, co-founder and key driver of the Team Teal campaign, which was launched in 2014.
Eight years on and Team Teal has spread throughout Australia and New Zealand and this year more than 260 female drivers are raising awareness of ovarian cancer in the broader community.
After losing his life partner Lyn in 2010, barely 13 months after her diagnosis with the deadly disease, Duncan with family and friends worked to continue her vision of “making a difference” and “improving the outcome of women’s health” through research trials and support.
Duncan shared Lyn’s story, his journey since her passing, stressed the importance of women “going with their gut” if something felt not quite right, the importance of promoting community awareness of ovarian cancer and fundraising for ANZGOG’s Research Nurse Grant Program and the Survivors Teaching Medical Students Program.
Meanwhile, out on the racetrack, Team Teal’s Kerryn Manning, Jackie Barker, Kate Gath, Tina Ridis and Jodi Quinlan kept the globally recognised colour of ovarian cancer under the spotlight during the afternoon’s eight-event card of harness action.
And the girls struck the first blow of the day when Gath got the best from a very wayward debutante Lightning Dan in the Carbine Chemicals 2YO Pace for trainer Clayton Tonkin and owner Danny Zavitsanos.
Manning kept the ball rolling in the Finn Tack Trot when “sometimes bad boy” Lord Chancellor didn’t miss a beat and strolled home to score for her father/trainer Peter from Bacardi Jess (Gath) and Indefensible (Ridis) in an all-teal-pants trifecta.
Race three, the #GetRealSupportTeal Pace, saw the favourite Yappas Courage win for driver Jason Lee, who was sporting the purple and white International Women’s Day colours. Yappas Courage proved too strong over the 1700m sprint trip and salute for Mt. Gambier trainer David Kemp.
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The first heat of the Decron Horse Care Noel Smith Memorial Invitation Drivers Championship went to the boys, when Jack Laugher landed the smart three-year-old gelding Apieceoflou for Charlton trainer Greg Norman, with Just As Well (Michael Stanley) and Fightnfury (John Caldow) filling the minors.
The Hygain Tracktorque Pace was another for “The Mount” with four-year-old mare Shady Rose an all-the-way winner for trainer Steven Fennell and her owners the Gnotuk Group. The International Women’s Day purple and white silks were once again first past the post with Jason Lee in the sulky.
Lee continued his winning streak in the second heat of the Invitation when he piloted the Kerryn Manning trained former Kiwi four-year-old gelding Revitalise to an all-the-way victory.
Owners Merv and Meg Butterworth were especially pleased with the win being long-time major sponsors (Decron Horse Care) of Horsham’s Drivers Invitation and Industry Appreciation race day.
Amore Rock, with Greg Sugars aboard, quickly put heat three of the Decron Noel Smith in the bag after using brilliant gate speed at the start of the 1700m dash. The five-year-old bay is trained at Haddon by Karlene Tindale.
The Team Teal girls dominated the final race of the afternoon, heat four of the Decron Noel Smith when lightly raced four-year-old gelding Highway To Heaven saluted for driver Kerryn Manning and Terang trainer Marg Lee.
Next home was Jodi Quinlan, with the Aaron Dunn-trained four-year-old gelding Kenya, and third-place money went to I Am Marquez, with Gath taking the reins for Shelbourne trainer Col Latter.
The Team Teal trifecta was a perfect finish to a special day at Horsham.
