By Duane Ranger (courtesy of the Maitland Harness Racing Club)
The Maitland Harness Racing Club’s showcase event – The Group Three Maitland Inter City Pace – is about to be run for the 62nd time over two carnival-like nights.
Heats (number still to be announced) for the Kirkwood’s Produce $10,000 two-to-five-win pacers (preferential barrier draw) will be competed from the 2,422-metre mobile on the Club’s 776-metre track (140m straight) on Bloomfield Street this Friday (December 20).
Then the Group Three Kirkwood Produce $30,000 Grand Final, also over the same distance, is scheduled eight days later, on December 28.
The night meetings are two of three that the Maitland Harness Racing Club races will hold in 2024. The Club would like to hold more race meetings to meet local demand and are hopeful that HRNSW will look positively on this request when the final 2025/26 race calendar is released.
Club Secretary, Sharon Murphy, said the feature event not only attracted local horses, but contenders from all regions of New South Wales and occasionally from Queensland and Victoria.
“This year’s Series is expected to be no different. For the spectators who attend our meeting, it’s like an annual reunion, attracting a lot of the same harness racing fans year-after-year. At Maitland you are right up close to the action on track, an element that excites those watching from the fence,” Murphy said.
Murphy said the race was the brain-child of the then Maitland Trotting Club Secretary, Bert Greedy, since its inception in 1962, the Maitland Inter City Pace had become an event that race owners, trainers and drivers in the Hunter Valley really want to win.
“The Inter City Pace was first competed for 62 years ago (1962) with the inaugural winner being the Wally Woods trained and driven, Summit Road. We have only missed two years since its inception when meetings were not allocated to the Club.
“Harness Racing is strong in the Maitland area, and it’s just a pity that we aren’t allocated more meetings. The first Maitland Inter City Pace was known as a race of horses coming through their grades would compete in. They would then go on to bigger and better things.
“However, over recent years this changed and this year we are going back to the “Greedy” model, programming a Series that allows those horses to move up to, and compete in. Pacers must be aged three and over. A Calcutta auction night is being held by one of our sponsors – The Windsor Castle Hotel – at their venue at 78 Lawes St on 27 December,” Murphy said.
“They are sponsoring the Maitland Cup, which will also be run on December 28. Kirkwood’s Produce are our main sponsor for the Intercity City Pace and have been a long-time supporter of harness racing at Maitland. We are grateful to them and all of our sponsors that make these two great nights so successful,” she added.
Murphy said the Club has requested to hold two rounds of heats next year, which would be a return to its former format.
“We are hoping that Harness Racing New South Wales will consider this favourably, because our showpiece event is always well attended by locals and people from far and wide. At Maitland, you won’t see any one-lap wonders here, because the racing is always so competitive and exciting,” Murphy said.
Last year the KerryAnn Morris-trained and Robert-Morris-driven, Hands On, won his heat by 9.1 metres with a 2:00.3 mile-rate, and then cleaned up in Grand Final by 2.3 metres, with a race-record 2:58.4 (1:58.4 mile-rate).
Maitland track record holders are:
2,422m mobile: The Roy Roots (Jnr)-trained and Grace Panella-driven $14 shot, Boyzhavtime on December 30, 2023, in 1:58.2.
2,044m mobile: The Leon Jurd-trained and Tom Ison-driven $2.50 second favourite, Bob Wheel on May 10, 2021, in 1:55.3.
1,646m mobile: The KerryAnn Morris-trained and Joshua Gallagher-driven $6.50 third-favourite, Bettor To Be Tricky on April 3, 2021, in 1:55.5.
Murphy said there would be more than just quality racing to attract race-goers.
“Heats Night has plenty of family-friendly entertainment, including Santa and the Grinch competing in a race against each other, Mini Trotting, face painting, pony rides, a petting zoo, a merry-go-round, and a jumping castle – which are all free.
“Finals Night will offer all of the above. as well as musical entertainment between races by Issac McCallum, of Australian Idol-fame. There will also be other rides and carnival entertainment at reasonable prices. Both nights will have a wide selection of food vans.
“We aim to keep the retail pricing in line with what is comfortable for a venue offering family entertainment. We do charge an entry for these two nights, which helps fund the entertainment and staffing to hold these meetings, cheaper than a night at the movies for sure,” she said.
Past winners of the Maitland Inter City Pace have been:
1962: The Wally Woods trained and driven, Summit Road; 1963 Brown Cosmo; 1964 Stormy Bruce; 1965 Moonlight; 1966 Mighty Reveller; 1967 Joe’s Fortune; 1968 Dashing Brucus; 1969 Chamnie Chamkerrie; 1970 Bay Foyle; 1971 Nuts And Bolts; 1972 Bold Biami; 1973 Thorcad; 1974 Blue Mineral; 1975 Ace High; 1976 Harga Lad; 1977 Our Berra; 1978 Penny Jack; 1979 Rockin Butler; 1980 Ad Valorem; 1981 Artie’s Hanover; 1982 Simon Said; 1983 All The Kings; 1984 Hurricane; 1985 Hitchhiker; 1986 Jennifer Bye Bye; 1987 Red Koarakau; 1988 Bearason Beau; 1989 Bluegum Chief; 1990 Twilight Time Paleface; 1991 Tar Heeled Pigment; 1992 Our New Life; 1993 Royal Courtier; 1994 General Fox; 1995 Michael Augustine; 1996 Antinous; 1997 Franco Lotsmore; 1998 Amanda Woodward; 1999 Smokeyfuzz; 2000; Candyrama; 2001 Magical Mike; 2002 Big Bad Holmes; 2003 Awaba; 2004 Muddy River; 2005 Rockabye Bee; 2006 not run; 2007 Union Ticket; 2008 not run; 2009 Staminator; 2010 Ghadasbest; 2011 Goeslikell; 2012 Lettucerocku; 2013 Scandalman; 2014 Megs Ferrari; 2015 All Eyes On Us; 2016 Kept Under Wraps; 2017 Express Stride; 2018 Our Triple Play; 2018 Persimmon; 2020 Benalong Valley; 2021 Im Quick As Fire; 2022 Chevron Art; in 1:58.6; 2023: The KerryAnn Morris-trained and Robert-Morris-driven, Hands On in a race-record 1:58.4.
Footnote: The Maitland harness racing track and Showgrounds is a reserve situated in South Maitland, close to West Maitland Park. It held its first meeting (at night) on 22 October 1927 and was allocated a further four nights under lights that year. Subsequent meetings were held in the daytime due to the Conservative Government’s ban on betting after twilight. Further attempts to race at night fell by the wayside with the majority of clubs being unable to see any merit in running night racing.
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales that boasts a population of 90,226. It is situated on the Hunter River approximately 166 kms north of Sydney, and 35 kms north-west of Newcastle.
