By Duane Ranger (courtesy of Redcliffe Paceway)
Redcliffe Paceway will always hold special memories for 2023 Australasian Young Drivers champion, Josh Gallagher.
The 23-year-old Sydney reinsman said he would never have been crowned the champion had it not be for the mighty ‘Triangle’.
Gallagher, who was third going into the heat on Inter Dominion Grand Final night needed the stars to align for him to be champion – and they did. First he had to win. Then he required Championship pacemaker, Angus Garrard to finish last, and then second placed Emily Suvaljko not to finish in the top three – the Western Australian reinswoman finished fourth.
“I had five points going into the second day at Redcliffe and things were looking a bit bleak. Then I won two heats there on the Thursday and ran second on the Friday, which helped. But I thought I was still a long way off Angus Garrard. He had 80 points and I had just 64, and you only get 17 for the win. It couldn’t have worked out any better,” Gallagher said.
“Yes, Redcliffe is a really different kind of track to drive on. It’s just the second time I’ve driven there, and Vermont is my first winning drive there thanks to Michael Nutley. You really have to be on your game – but it’s a track that will always remain special to me. It played a big part in my title,” the New South Wales=based champion added.
Garrard led the Series virtually throughout the 10-heat Series with a win and three seconds going into the last round of heats, but the talented Queenslander could only muster one point from his final drive – and lost the Championship on a countback of three wins to one.
Gallagher actually had three last placings (10ths) to go with his three victories. His full results can be viewed here, with the final points table linked at the bottom of this story.
The Creek (Tuesday Dec. 12):
Heat One: 10th (last) behind the Darrel Graham trained Queenslander – 1 point.
Heat Two: Eighth behind the Shane Graham trained The Irishman – 3 points..
Heat Three: Tenth (Last) behind the Grant Dixon trained Commodore Jujon – 1 point.
REDCLIFFE PACEWAY (Thursday December 12):
Heat Four: FIRST behind the Michael Nutley trained Vermont at $10 to win – 17 points.
Heat Five: Fourth behind the John McMullen trained The Duke – 6 points.
Heat Six: FIRST behind the Ricky Gordon trained Risky Buziness as the $3.90 favourite – 17 points.
REDCLIFFE PACEWAY (Friday Dec 15):
Heat Seven: Second behind the Shane Fraser trained Eaglespride – 12 points.
Heat Eight: Tenth (last) behind the Ben Battle trained Jacca Wally – 1 point.
Heat Nine: Sixth behind the Grant Dixon trained Fraya – 6 points.
The Creek (Saturday Dec. 16):
Heat 10: FIRST behind the Grant Dixon trained Aroda at $7 win odds – 17 points.
A day after achieving one of his greatest moments in harness racing, Gallagher, said he was still in celebratory mode, despite having to get back in the sulky three times at the Goulburn meeting today (Monday)
“You just have to keep on going no matter what happens because it’s your job, but it’s going to be hard to beat this. I’ve had a really good season. I aimed for 150 wins at the start of the year, and I’ve now won 152 races ($1.6m). Both the wins and earnings are a personal best,” said Gallagher who has driven 595 winners ($5.8m) since first getting in the bike in 2016-2017.
Gallagher has also racked up five Group Three wins, a Group Two, and a Group One triumph via the Jason Grimson trained Boncel Benjamin at odds of $51 in Inter Dominion Grand Final at Tabcorp Park Menangle in December 2021.
That upset head-victory came four years after he drove his first winner behind the KerryAnn Morris trained, Our Quinn, at Newcastle on September 2, 2017.
“I’ve been around horses most of my life. My parents have had a couple of Group One wins, and I was always destined to work in a stable. When I finished Year 12 at St Gregory’s College (Campbelltown), I went and worked full-time for the KerryAnn Turner stable at Menangle. I had already worked for them in the weekend and school holidays since I was 14,” Gallagher said.
“I’m still there at Lucky Lodge,” he added.
His parents – Damien and Felicity boasted Group One winners Cuttheattitude and Sheezallattitude. Gallagher is the oldest of three children. His siblings are Sheridan and Mackenzie. Here; some other things Gallagher revealed:
Favourite horse: Fear Cruisin.
Favourite sport: (harness racing aside): Cricket.
Favourite song: “Superman” by Eminem.
Favourite Movie: Peaky Blinders.
Favourite Food: Pizza.
Favourite track: Menangle.
Final results from the 2023 Australasian Young Drivers Championship (six of the 10 heats at Redcliffe Paceway) can be copied and pasted at this link:
https://www.harness.org.au/NEWS/news2/uploads/YDC23%20Score%20sheet9.pdf
