By Duane Ranger (courtesy of Redcliffe Paceway)
Coolana hobby-horseman, Clint Petroff, broke his four and two-year driving and training droughts when saluting the judge with Make Mine Joe at Redcliffe Paceway last Thursday (April 22) afternoon.
The 40-year-old sat parked, gapped them at the 300m and then hung on to win race four – the Hygain NR40-NR43 Pace – by a nose. It was Make Mine Joe’s 16th win in 172 starts. The 9-year-old Roll With Joe gelding has also placed 45 times and banked $114,980 for his owner – and Petroff’s partner, Emily Turner
“That was a gutsy win. The old boy has had an injury plagued career with bone splints, health issues, and suspensory problems. He’s overcome a lot of adversity. I can’t believe he paid $21 because he hasn’t been that far away in his races. A professional punter would have seen that,” Petroff said.
“But I don’t think the horse would have won had it not been for the advice Trent Dawson gave me before the race,” he added,
Dawson, who stables Petroff’s three horses at nearby Clarendon, told him to ‘force the issue. Drive him more aggressively’.
“Trent is someone I admire a lot in the game, and he has given me a lot of sound advice over the years. Had he not told me to call the shots a bit more, it might have been a different result,” Petroff said.
“That was a tough performance because I asked him to go a long way from home,” he added.
It was Petroff’s 62nd ($182,287) driving success since 2000-2001, and 24th as a trainer since 2005-2006. He has now amassed $100,069 in career purses.
His last training victory came two-years-and-three-months (January 30, 2021) ago at ‘The Triangle’ when Dawson steered Make Mine Joe to a 2.1 metre-triumph.
Petroff last saluted the judge at Marburg on December 23, 2018, with the 12-win Yankee Paco trotter, Stoned Again. They started 40m behind that day.
In fact, he and Stoned Again had three wins that year (also August 5 and November 11) – all at Marburg on. That was his second-best season after driving six winners in 2009-2010.
“I’ve always had a main job and horses were third after family and work. I never really got too interested in becoming a full-time reinsman when I had my older brother Chris to call on.
“He is a natural and I’m not as good as him, so why would I put myself on a horse when I had talented family to call on early on in my career.
“That’s why I sometimes call on other drivers like Trent as well. It comes down to fitting my drives around work,” said Petroff who is the youngest of the four Petroff siblings (Chris, Carmen, and Rodney).
For the last 20 years Petroff has worked the night shift at a nearby meat processing abattoir, and admits it can be a long haul to and from Redcliffe especially when he has work.
“Emily had to drop me off at work and then take the horses home on Thursday. I love racing at Redcliffe and the Club is very progressive. Mark Belford does a really good job as track curator.
“But I race more at Albion Park – only because it’s closer and more convenient for my main job,” Petroff said.
The Petroffs live in Coolana, which has a population of 178. It is situated in the Somerset Region, 54 km west of Brisbane. And 80km from Redcliffe. They also have a 4-year-old son named Oscar.
“There would be no harness racing if it wasn’t for Emily. She’s the rock, the backbone of everything I do. It’s a joint effort and I think we work well as a team. I certainly couldn’t do it on my own,” Petroff said.
Petroff said he had several mentors along the way like Dawson, Tim Gillespie, Jason Carkeet, and Al Barnes. Family-wise he said he couldn’t go past his brothers for advice.
“Early on Paul Fleming and Darryl Graham taught me a lot, but even before that there was my grandfather (Bill Tripp). He had horses, and it was a natural progression that my brothers and I would follow him into the game,” Tweed heads born and educated (Tweed River HS) Petroff said.
“However, I can never forget my parents Chris and Linda. The best father and mother anyone son could wish for. They gave us four kids everything we could possibly want to launch a good life from. I’m 40 and they still help me out so much,” he added.
As for the highlights of his career so far, Petroff mentioned a 2006 Live Or Die gelding named Livinthehighlife, and a 1999 Exclusive Cam gelding named Carry That Weight.
“They both won 20-plus races Livinthehighlife was the best horse I’ve trained. He changed my life in many ways. He won more than 20 races all up and five (12 placings – $20,815) for me. Next best would be Stoned Again, who I won six races (10 placings – $18,715) with.”
As for Carry The Weight?
“I’ll always remember him. I won my first race behind him at the Gold Coast in 2005 (June 16) for my former father-in-law Tim Gillespie,” Petroff said.
