Clerk of the Course Barry Sambrooks and his noble steed Tom had to think quick to rein in a loose Macho Maori at Charlton on Wednesday.
Sambrooks used all his experience to capture the runaway standardbred after he tipped out reinsman Brent Murphy at the start of the second event.
The four-year-old cut through the middle of the track before Sambrooks finally caught up with the gelding, bringing him to a halt in front of spectators lining the fence along the home straight.
“I missed him the first time. I thought he was going to stay on the track and I was going to pick him up on the right hand side,” Sambrooks said. “The bugger ducked in behind me as you can see, but I eventually caught him, no-one was hurt and it ended up good.”
The special act is all in a day’s work for the Clerk.
“It was a pretty average act, it can be a lot worse,” he said.
“The horse wasn’t really panicked. When he cut inside of me, it kind of threw me. But when I caught him, it wasn’t a problem and he pulled up quite comfortably.”
The Charlton and wider harness racing community have applauded the act of courage.
“We appreciate that sort of thing (praise), we don’t look for it of course,” he said. “It’s just nice we are appreciated. The stewards congratulated me and that’s good to know, but it’s just part of our job.”
Social media has been in a frenzy over vision of the chase, which was described in entertaining style by legendary Harness Racing Victoria caller Dan Mielicki.
“Another Clerk of the Course has peeled out in front of the loose horse, who goes to the inside of the track and doges and weaves, bounces the ball twice as he runs towards the goal posts,” Mielicki said.
"And the loose horse has got away again. The Clerk of the Course is in hot pursuit, he goes, he lunges to pick him up and he got him!”
While Macho Maori was scratched from the event, thankfully all involved in the incident walked away unscathed.
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