Change is a constant, in racing as in life, and the time-honoured Tontine Championships have undergone plenty since the lightly raced five-year-old gelding Kiwi Conference and his trainer/driver Peter Rothacker took out the inaugural title at Ararat back in March 1981.

Kiwi Conference raced four times in 12 days to earn the Tontine crown in a last-man-standing series of heats, semis and final - the brainchild of John Fladgate, then President of the Hamilton HRC, and staged jointly by the original members of the south-west zone (Ararat, Hamilton, Horsham, Stawell and Ararat).

Changes since include a switch for the pacers from standing starts to the mobile, introduction of a handicap series for squaregaiters, a $10,000 clean sweep bonus, brief inclusion of Geelong and Ballarat clubs into the mix, stakemoney parity for both gaits, separate venues for pacers and trotters series, a flirtation final at Melton (Charlie Machsheen, 2013, pictured) and more recently the Tontine as a one-off feature event.

Some things haven't changed during the nearly 40-year history of the Tontine - the winning connections collect a decent stakemoney cheque and the race is often a springboard to bigger and better things, for example past winners Kentucky George (33 wins), Noopy Kiosk (34), Lombo Rapida (27), Acacia Ridge (22), Flaming Flutter (24,) Supersonic Miss (17) and Deltasun (17).

The 2020 editions of the Tontine pacing and trotting championships will be hosted by the Stawell Harness Racing Club at Laidlaw Park on Monday, January 27.

The $25,000 Trackside Bar & Bistro Tontine Championship for Pacers (ms) and Trotters (ss) carry a trophy and inscribed rug for the winning owner(s) and trophies for the winning trainer and driver.

Nominations for all events on the holiday Monday program close at noon, Wednesday January 22.

       

Hoofnote: A noted absentee from the 2020 Tontine action will be legendary reinsman Gavin Lang, who with 10 mentions on the championship honour roll is unquestionably its ruling monarch.

As Gavin continues his battle with a rare form of lymphoma, the thoughts of harness followers throughout the nation remain firmly with him and his family.

Lang first took out the pacing series in 1985 when he saluted with Our Noble Rex NZ at Terang - strangely it's only win from 13 starts in Australia.

Further Tontine success came in 1992 with Nunkie at Horsham, at Stawell in 1997 with Black Duke, and his amazing hat-trick in 2009, '10 and '11 aboard Jaccka Sandy at Geelong, Atlas Alliance at Terang and Seeful Pocket at Ararat. Lang's latest victory in the pacing section was in 2018 with Rishi at Geelong.

Lang's trio of trotting Tontine titles were in 2004 Master Maori (Ararat), 2016 Tryncatchme (Horsham) and 2018 Deltasun (Geelong).

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE TONTINE CHAMPIONS IN THETROTS.COM.AU'S HONOUR ROLLS