IF YOU can, stop what you’re doing for a couple of minutes at 2.52pm tomorrow (Tuesday).

Lancelot Bromac deserves your attention.

That’s when the remarkable 13-year-old gelding will step out for an unthinkable and unprecedented 500th race start at Brisbane’s home of harness racing, Albion Park (known these days as “The Creek”).

It is a decade since Lancelot Bromac had his first start.

His driver in tomorrow’s milestone race, Angus Garrard, was just eight years old when “Lance”, as they call him, went to the races for the first time at the now defunct Gold Coast harness track.

Stewart Dickson, who understandably calls Lance part of the family, has trained the old boy since day one.

He bought him for $5000 about 11 years ago from then leviathan Queensland owner-breeder Tony Price, who said: “pay me when he wins his first race.”

That came at just his third start.

Since then, Lancelot Bromac has taken his tally of wins to 33. He’s also run 72 seconds and 61 thirds.

The son of Art Major has banked $376,652 along the way. That’s an average of around $750 per trip to the races.

And he certainly isn’t limping to his 500th start.

Lancelot Bromac has run two seconds, a third and a close-up fourth in his past four starts.

He hasn’t won since August 30, last year at Albion Park, but as Dickson said: “Maybe he’s been waiting for this … wouldn’t it be a fairy tale if his won his 500th start?”

The barrier draw has been pretty kind with gate eight, which will see him start from inside the back row. Sure, he’ll need luck, but it also means he won’t have a hard run.

Sadly, Dickson has and continues to cop flak for still racing Lancelot Bromac.

But those taking pot shots don’t know the bond between the trainer and his horse, or how much Lancelot Bromac still looks forward to racing.

“I’d be lost without him. He’s been a big part of my life for such a long time,” Dickson said. “And he’s always at the gate wanting to get out and train or go to the races.

“I gave him a spell once, for about two weeks, and he hated it. He was pacing around and waiting at the gate all the time wanting to get out.”

While this is a remarkable moment, things won’t be much different for Dickson and Lancelot Bromac tomorrow.

He’ll make the hour or so trip down from Caboolture to Albion Park. Dickson will take him off the float and walk him to “his” stall – stall 43 – and the old boy will put on a show when the trainer starts to gear him up.

Part-owner, new Gold Coast race caller Mitch Manners, will be trackside.

Garrard will hop aboard and Lancelot Bromac will give his all, as he does pretty much every Tuesday of the year at Albion Park.

Whether that’s good enough to win or not isn’t the story.

It’s the fact he’s been 500 times and still wants to be there that’s the remarkably beautiful part.

Then two “mates” – a man and his horse – will head back home and start to prepare for start 501.

 

The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.