{"id":6354,"date":"2023-03-08T05:55:57","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T05:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/mtgambiertimes\/?p=6354"},"modified":"2023-11-07T06:08:14","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T06:08:14","slug":"keeping-it-in-the-family-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/mtgambiertimes\/sport\/keeping-it-in-the-family-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Keeping it in the family"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mount Gambier Harness Racing Club Gold Cup\u2019s 50th anniversary celebrations<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 50th anniversary Mount Gambier Harness Racing Gold Cup celebrations started in earnest at Friday night\u2019s Calcutta, where more than 50 people packed the Mount Gambier Community RSL function room to celebrate the historic milestone. <\/p>\n

The club\u2019s Calcutta had been sparsely attended in recent years but club president Simon Phillips was thrilled to see the support for the 50th running of the club\u2019s premier event. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is great to see a really good turnout \u2013 a lot better than the past few years,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got more numbers on our committee this year so things a re probably on the up \u2013 a lot of hard work goes into it (the Gold Cup) as well.\u201d <\/p>\n

Phillips has his own fond memories of the sport and its premier race night. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have been going to the trots since I was three months old,\u201d Phillips said, with the 1991 win of Irish Liner one of the more memorable in his time of heading to Greenwald Paceway as well as the back marking efforts of 2012 winner Come On Frank. <\/p>\n

Last Friday night\u2019s celebrations were headlined by award winning harness racing media personality Mel Kittle, who interviewed three of the local industry\u2019s big names \u2013 life member and long standing trainer and driver Kevin Brough, talented third generation driver Jayson Finnis and long standing committeeman and trainer Neil Shepherd. <\/p>\n

Kittle also started her spiel with a huge compliment for the local club. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a great community here who work together,\u201d she said. \u201cSome of the people back in Adelaide could take that advice and work together a bit better.\u201d <\/p>\n

Kittle also has a multi-generational connection to the sport with a grandfather who was a driver and her father as a bookie. <\/p>\n

Finnis, who won his first Gold Cup last year, driving for father Barry Finnis, reminisced on his early days in the sport, making his mark with his 2008 win with Jewel of Destiny at Gawler as a teenager. \u201cAll I ever wanted to be is a driver,\u201d Finnis said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was really lucky with my grandparents really backing me \u2013 they put me on everything they had. \u201cI had the right people backing me \u2013 Kevin Brough and Dave Drury.\u201d <\/p>\n

Finnis now has a strong working relationship with his father Barry Finnis and trainer wife Alyce Finnis and that made his 2022 Gold Cup breakthrough victory all the more special. <\/p>\n

\u201cI always wanted to win the cup \u2013 my grandfather won it and so did my dad and pop as well,\u201d Finnis said. \u201cI probably tried too hard in the past, I would make a move and did it too hard but last year I just relaxed.\u201d <\/p>\n

Kevin Brough, who later in the evening cut the anniversary cake, was very clear on his plans for his assault on the 2023 cup. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to be careful not to use all your petrol early \u2013 the 2500 sorts a few out and you don\u2019t want to do too much work early,\u201d Brough said, as he also shard his views on the standing versus the mobile start argument. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m an old standing start guy where everybody takes their handicap \u2013 at the moment there is no such thing as a handicap,\u201d Brough said. \u201cThe honest horses could win and I miss that.\u201d <\/p>\n

Neil Shepherd\u2019s grandfather was one of the founding committeemen of the Mount Gambier Harness Racing Club and since its inception, his grandfather, father or himself have been on that committee. <\/p>\n

\u201cI just love the social aspect of it and it is a great sport,\u201d Shepherd said. The 50th anniversary celebration also included the presentation of the 2022 season awards with the Medhurst-Finnis clan scooping the pool. <\/p>\n

Jayson Finnis was named Driver of the Year, father Barry Finnis the Trainer of the Year, while grandfather Peter Medhurst took home the remaining awards \u2013 Leading Three Year Old with My Purple Patch; Most Improved Horse Four Years Old or Older True Blue Rose with the same horse claiming the top honour \u2013 Horse of the Year. <\/p>\n