MELBOURNE - Australian harness racing lost its most revered gentleman when Neville Clarke died yesterday.
Clarke, 58, was diagnosed with inoperable cancer of the oesophagus while at the Interdominions in Christchurch in March.
At that stage he was given only weeks to live.
He lost his battle with the illness inhis Terang home at 4am yesterday.
Long-time racetrack rival and off-track friend, Brian Gath, described Clarke, a successful trainer-driver, as an "ornament" to the sport.
"He's the nicest man in the game, I've always said that," he said.
Clarke's brother, Bruce, who won races on former champion pacer Gammalite, said his brother had always been his best friend.
"I couldn't have been any closer to anyone," he said.
"We worked together and spoke often about the most personal things."
Bruce revealed a side of his brother many people in harness racing wouldn't know about.
"He was a very humble person, but put him in front of a microphone and he came into his own.
"Whether it was singing, talking about the history of harness racing or doing his Joh Bjelke Petersen impersonation," he said.
Champion driver Gavin Lang said he had found Clarke an inspiration since he started driving.
"Anybody who knew Neville would ask the same thing; how could something like that happen to him?" he said.
Former Harness Racing Board member Ron Anderson, who raced horses with Clarke for 30 years and was one of his closest friends, said Clarke's passion extended way beyond his horses.
"Only those closest to Neville would know what a big part of the Terang community he was.
"He was always giving of his time for the community and charities," he said.
Harness Racing Victoria's CEO Richard King summed-up the feeling of most people in the industry with the words:
"Neville wasn't just a champion of harness racing, he was a champion person."
Clarke's biggest thrill came almost 12 months ago when he trained and drove Western Light to win the Kilmore Cup.
He also campaigned the sit-sprinter at the Christchurch Interdominions in March-April this year.
They won a heat and ran fourth to Baltic Eagle in the final.
Clarke, who lost his Patsy to cancer three years ago, is survived by his children Kasey, John and Linda.
His funeral will be held at St Thomas' Catholic Church in the Victorian township of Terang on Monday.
