By Duane Ranger (courtesy of Redcliffe Paceway)
Chris Watson is not only a quality horseman and accountant, but he’s also very generous of his time… even when he’s some 1,258km away from Redcliffe Paceway cruising merrily in the Coral Sea.
The Jimboomba horseman and his wife Penny were aboard the Coral Princess, nearing Willis Island, when they had their 17-day cruise interrupted for a story about a veteran 11-year-old pacer, who could easily have died.
But instead, the Chris Watson-trained and Damon Watson-driven Sports Bounty notched up his notched up his 25th victory from a whopping 234 starts in race six at Redcliffe Paceway last Sunday evening (August 18).
For the father-and-son combination, Sports Bounty has now won 17 times since Watson Senior and his wife bought him for $4,000 from his good mate of 25 years, Darren Elder, in August 2019.The son of Sportswriter was six at the time, and since then he has won for the Watsons at six different tracks – Redcliffe, Riverina, Warragul, Young, Leeton, and Albion Park.
One of those victories he recorded a personal best of 1:53.2 as a 9-year-old at the Riverina on January 10, 2022.
“I actually had my eye on another one, but for $500 more Darrin said I could get a far better pacer, who would win more races. He was spot on. Sports Bounty a lovely, beautiful horse, who despite having a mind of his own, is the king of our stable.
“In saying that he could easily be dead now. He could easily have died when he put his leg through a fence last year. All the skin was pulled right through to the bone. It took a long while for him to recover. The thought of putting him down never entered our mind. He’s too precious to us for that,” said Perth-bound Watson, who was 450km from Cairns at the time of this interview.
The 56-year-old Sydney native said Sports Bounty loved race, but tended to get cranky if he didn’t get his own way.
“If he’s not on the walking machine first in the morning he will let you know. It’s also the same after a race, because if you haven’t picked up the bit, he let’s you know. He likes to be extended in his races, and that’s why I train my horses a bit differently to a lot of trainers. I try and keep them a bit fresh,” Watson said.
On Sunday Watson (Damon) sat in the trail from gate seven, and then on the home-turn he hooked out the son of Sportswriter three-wide. The duo then powered down the middle of the straight to nail Doolittle Doozzie right on the line. He paced the 1,700m mobile in 2:11.4 with a 1:58.3 mile-rate.
As well as 25 victories. Sports Bounty has also placed 46 times and netted $165,934 in stakes since making his debut fifth at Echuca on April 16, 2017. It was his fourth win of the season, and second at ‘The Triangle’.
“He always gives his best day-in-and-day-out, and that’s why we love him. He’s as honest as the day is long. He absolutely loves Penny because she feeds him lots of carrots. He’s a loveable character., and just the way he’s working at the moment I thought he might go close on Sunday,” Watson said of the $3.30 second favourite.
“He’s the King and our 7-year-old Roll With Joe (13-win) mare, Justrollingaround is the Queens. He doesn’t know he’s 11. He will soon let us know when he doesn’t want to do it anymore, but for never he’s never been fitter. I keep in touch with ‘Damo’ daily,” said Watson, who works a team of nine at Jimboomba,” he added.
But it hasn’t always been harness racing for the Watson. In fact, the Senior Performance Analyst for the New South Wales Government based at both Murwillumbah and Jimboomba, said he never got involved in the sport until he was 29.
“I’ve been a ‘hobbyist’ for 27 years, 10 years before I met my wife, Penny. I remember when I was just five I remember Dad (Les) had a second job working on the door at Harold Park, and every time Hando Grattan (aka ‘the 1970s Bathurst Bulldog’ )would win Tony Turnbull would give him a nice tip.
“I remember Dad telling us how Tony and that horse looked after him. That was my first taste of harness racing,” said Watson who is the youngest of children and 10 years younger than sibling four.
But it was while watching TV in his late 20s, Watson decided to apply for a stable-hand job at Gary Gerrard’s Buccan stable in Longan – a settlement 38km south-west of Brisbane.
“I’d always loved the trots when I was in Sydney and the time was right to turn my hobby into reality. My passion got the better of me.”
Watson trained and drove his first winner behind Oompha at Toowoomba in late 1998, and since then has now trained 95 winners, 271place-getters and earned $685,305 in purses. Watson has really hit his straps in the last four seasons conditioning 14 winners in 2021; 11 in 2022, a season-best 19 last year; and 11 so far in 2024.
“I had a bit more time and decided to make more of a go of it, especially when Damon started driving in 2018. I usually get them on the walker in the morning and work them, and then Damon finishes them off when I go to work. He’s doing a good job back home. We don’t get back until September 6,” Watson said.
“I suppose you could say it’s a passion that has exploded in the last few seasons,” he added.
Watson has actually driven 35 winners since 1998. He’s also placed 18 times and netted $224,531 in stakes. He drove six in a season twice in 2002-2004 and 2004-2005
“My last winner was in 2022 because I like to let Damon do all the driving now, and he’s also doing a very good job there too (52 wins & $427,757). I enjoyed driving. But I enjoy watching Damion go around just as much. Furthermore, my main job, and family keep Penny and I very busy,” said Watson.
Born in Sydney, and educated at St Edwards College in East-Gosford (NSW), Watson left school in the mid-1980s and worked in the Commonwealth Bank for 10 years before moving to Queensland at 26.
“I was divorced during that time and spent the next four years working in the ANZ Bank in Beenleigh. He then worked on his own for a while before relocating to Central Coast, Goulburn, Perth, Bathurst, and Wagga Wagga, where I met Penny and her son Dylan,” Watson said.
For the record: Jimboomba is a town in Logan, which boasts a population of 7.423. It is 80km south of Redcliffe and 48km south of Brisbane.
Just over 12 months ago I wrote a story about Watson’s son, Damon:
