The new favourite for harness racing’s World Driver’s Championship says he hasn’t put too much thought into the series, even though it is just days away.
That is not because West Australian wonder Gary Hall jnr doesn’t care – far from it. The 43-year-old just has some business to take care of at home before he starts doing the deep dive into his World Driver’s Championship (WDC) horses.
The series brings together 10 invited harness racing drivers from around the world and they will compete for points over 20 races, starting with three heats at Kaikōura on Sunday and finishing on New Zealand Cup Day at Addington.
Drivers will wear their national colours and while some aren’t their home country’s national premiership winner, the importance of such premierships varies wildly in different countries.
While the series is still a source of nationalistic pride, it is also a celebration of the harness racing sport and a chance to showcase New Zealand around the harness racing world.
There can be no doubting New Zealand’s rep Blair Orange is the best driver here and while Hall doesn’t compete often on the eastern seaboard of Australia, he is a world-class talent who would be in the leading drivers anywhere in the world.
While he has driven with great success in New Zealand, winning both the Inter Dominion and Auckland Cup on Themightyquinn in 2011, he has never worn the green and gold of Australia.
“Only three other West Australian drivers have represented us at the World Driving Champs and I’m really proud to be the fourth,” Hall said.
“I can’t wait to get over there and it will be cool to drive at Kaikōura because like everybody over here I’ve seen it on TV a thousand times.
“I have my partner [driver Maddison Brown) coming with me and Dad and his wife Karen so it will be a great trip.
“Bbut we will be late arrivals. We don’t get there until late Saturday afternoon and I think we are only there for an hour and then straight on the bus to Kaikōura.”
The reason for that, and Hall’s lack of early research, is it is West Australian Derby night in Perth on Friday night, with both Hall and Brown having drives in the A$200,000 ($228,999) classic.
“I have some big drives there so I haven’t looked into my early round drives at Kaikōura yet because there is only so much I can fit in my head,” Hall laughed.
“I think during the series, I will do most of my research day by day. I’ll look at the videos for my horses and then ask about some of the others and obviously the trainers of the horses I am on will give me their thoughts.”
With the advantage of local knowledge, Orange was the long-time favourite for the series but Hall has shortened from $6 into $2.60 after securing five good drives over the first two days at Kaikōura.
The series then moves to Cambridge next Wednesday, to Addington on Friday week, to Winton on Sunday November 9 and culminates back at Addigton on Cup Day, November 11.
Book-ending the series with one of the world’s most picturesque tracks in Kaikōura and the mammoth sporting occasion that is New Zealand Trotting Cup day should provide plenty of stunning footage being sent to the social media accounts of racing fans in at least 10 countries, so will act as a 10-day advertisement for New Zealand racing.
What: Harness racing series with 10 of the leading drivers from around the world representing their country.
Where: Kaikōura (two days), Cambridge, Addington (two meetings) and Winton.
How it works: Drivers are allotted local horses by ballot and secure points based on finishing position. Most points win.
Countries represented: New Zealand, Australia, Canada, United States, Italy, France, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden.
TAB market (to win series): $2.60, Gary Hall jnr, $4.20 James MacDonald, $6 Brett Beckwith, $6.50, Blair Orange, $10 or more all others.
Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.