Racing: Clerk keeps things on right track

For racegoers, he will be that familiar face you can't quite put a name to; for jockeys and race officials, he is a godsend. Andrew Alderson meets Ross Coles, horseman extraordinaire.

Anticipation mounts as the field is being lined up for race eight on Boxing Day at Ellerslie. It's the Group Two Great Northern Guineas for 3-year-olds; 2100 metres, starting in front of the main grandstand. The track is rated good and the weather is fine.

Starter Trevor 'Gripper' Harrison prepares jockeys and horses for the opening of the gates. Suddenly Izonit, No 4, kicks up his heels. The jockey jumps clear and the horse breaks out. Izonit is off and the baying crowd eggs the horse on.

Enter Ross Coles.

The 60-year-old is the chief clerk of the course at Ellerslie, a job he's held for 27 years. You've seen him and his fellow clerks in their red hunting coats, white pants and black boots riding trusty grey steeds - and 'trusty' is not used lightly. Coles has formed strong bonds with his horses over the years. It comes with the terrain.

"You can get a horse sorted with the right attitude in a couple of months," he said. "But you can't just go and catch a horse in a paddock. He needs to be shod, ridden and educated about the role by creating practice incidents at home.

"That involves leading a horse off him, standing with people around him and teaching him not to kick or bite.

"I once had a nice horse that had little respect for people. I gave him the sack after about four days."

Synergy between clerk and horse is vital on the racecourse. They're racing's equivalent of medicine's anaesthetist.

"We pride ourselves on being able to read situations before they happen. We often can't prevent situations but you've got to be able to put yourself into a position where you can solve the problem. Often our job is leading horses and jockeys to the start because trainers ask us to. We give them to the starter's attendant, they put them in the barrier, then as far as we're concerned the horses are in the race."

Coles does about 40 race meetings a year but Derby Day and the Auckland Cup are when he gets anxious.

"That's because there is a huge crowd of non-racing people. That's fine but they can fire horses up unintentionally. I've seen photographers, for instance, lie in the middle of a course to get a good shot. One guy put a camera right next to the running rail where horses put their feet. If the lead horse shied it could create havoc."

So back to Izonit who takes on an imaginary field past the winner's post. Gripper Harrison is almost beside himself worrying about the lengthy delay if the horse can't be caught.

But Coles is on the case. A blur of grey, red and black is with Izonit so quickly you'd think he'd got changed in a phone booth. Izonit's lead is on the opposite side as the colt hugs the barrier closest to the stand.

Coles reaches across at full pace and secures it. A solution is found in 40 seconds. One of the biggest days on the racing calendar can proceed without further fuss.

"When I saw Colesy secure that horse I felt like I'd won lotto," says Harrison. "He saved so much time. It meant I didn't have to pull the other horses out of the barrier.

"Mind you, I shouldn't be surprised. I saw him one other time clear a rail to grab a horse that had jumped outside."

The odd one does get away. A horse at Avondale once shot off towards town. Coles eventually found the beast at a busy intersection where a cop had collected the horse while still directing traffic.

The job also requires a "bedside manner". Veteran jockey Noel Harris has been ridden out to the start with Coles on temperamental mounts on numerous occasions, then back to the birdcage on countless winners.

"He's a horseman, I'm a horseman - so we can relate. Over the years I'll say, 'Geez mate, what have I got to do to get this one settled?' He'll say, 'Try this, try that' and, before you know it, the horse is in the gates. Colesy's invaluable to racing."

Part of Coles' intuition can be traced to a thoroughbred pedigree.

"Riding always came naturally. I'd ridden since I was 3 or 4 years old. I did my first day at Ellerslie when I was 14 and I just filled in when someone got crook. I was pretty much permanent from 16 onwards."

Coles' father Ray was head of the Pakuranga Hunt for 28 years before Ross took over for another 25, based south of Auckland at Karaka.

Coles' roles led to management opportunities in the equestrian arena. He is back managing the New Zealand showjumping team after a stint in the 1990s.

His highest and lowest points as a manager came in charge of the eventing team at the World Games in 1998 and Olympics in 2000.

"Winning the team event gold medal in Rome was one of the most exhilarating experiences you could imagine. Sydney was a different story. We had eight horses, needed three for a team and still couldn't do it after a disastrous quarantine period."

But Coles' best career moments come at a simpler level.

"To lead a good horse back where the jockey's just won a million-dollar race, that's a buzz. Everyone's elated.

"It's great to chat after they've stopped huffing and puffing. They're quite exhausted.

"They probably haven't had a meal for three or four days, probably haven't had a lot of drinks, but the adrenaline kicks in and they're rapt. I've got the best seat on the racecourse."

Ask him for a tip for Wednesday's Auckland Cup and his eloquence all but disappears. "I wouldn't be here if I could tell you."