AS if to emphasise the island-wide appeal of harness racing, we travel from one of the southernmost stables (Murphy’s in Baltimore) to one of the furthest north stables - that of Walter and Carmel Stewart, where the River Bann meets the sea at Coleraine.
Carmel is a tireless volunteer at northern track Annaghmore Raceway and sons Jimmy and Lawrence are capable drivers, as is middle son Watty, who is a blacksmith and also a producer of sport horses under the ‘Seaview’ prefix.
Walter’s late father, Jim moved to Ireland from Penrith in Cumbria and, to this day, Walter has hints of that accent and loads of contacts in the Eden Valley. Although his father always raced a horse or two, the hardy gelding Wintertime, named for Jim Winter of Appleby, was the first racehorse of his own, which fresh-faced teenager Walter campaigned in the late 1970s.
There are more successful trainers than Walter for sure, but no-one with a better strike-rate when you consider that he rarely has more than two horses in work at one time. Something of a perfectionist, Stewart would prefer to do two horses well than four or five horses in a hurried way.
After the lightly-built Wintertime, Walter enjoyed two decades of the highs and lows of the sport as a travelling companion to his uncle, the great and much missed Bobby Hanson. Blue Smoke, Smoke Away, Dorney Reveller and Worth Seeing were just some of the champions raced by the man Walter still respectfully calls ‘the boss’.
After such an apprenticeship Walter knew how to handle a top-class horse when one came his way. Most of his top campaigners were made by Stewart himself. For example, the Welsh-bred Elwy Bill was thought by many to be a journeyman racehorse, yet Walter managed to win the 1986 Joe Harris Memorial (then the country’s most prestigious race) with the teak-tough gelding.
Lakeside Fox (another Welsh-bred) went from novice to top grade in one season. “That hasn’t been done again,” states Walter proudly. “He won the Clash of the Titans, a three-race series, beating Sable Matters and Sure Cam.” ‘The Fox’ as race fans knew him, was exported to race in the States.
Unusually for a son of a dealing family, Walter Stewart is surprisingly sentimental about horses. He bought back old warrior Boldrun Buddy to give the gelding a happy retirement: ‘Buddy’ had to be euthanized recently at the age of 21. Buddy’s win in the free-for-all at Musselburgh was Walter’s biggest thrill in racing.
In recent years, the 59-year-old Coleraine man unearthed a horse of a lifetime when he bought For A Few Dollars More as a yearling at the Forest City Sale, Ontario. Over the next six seasons, “Dollar” competed with the best in the land.
The free-for-all ranks at that time included Doonbeg, Scoot Around and Earned Income - a golden generation in the top grade of harness racing. A full list of Dollar’s accomplishments would take too long to compile. Three different Derbys at three, later the famous Musselburgh Pace and the Crock of Gold in the same season, a 1.56 track record at Tir Prince that still stands - all of this made the Stewart family justifiably proud.
The fact that “Dollar” is an entire made the decision to retire him in 2014 a bit easier. His first crop are only yearlings and the sport in Ireland hopes that lightning will strike twice.
A bit like Tadhg Murphy (featured last week), Stewart’s base means long drives to most meetings, but the natural landscape makes for a great training ground for horses.
For many years, Walter trained on beautiful Port Stewart strand and has moved more recently to another beauty spot, Downhill strand - “less dogs on the beach and the people are more considerate to horses. The beach is easy on the legs - but too much fast work can do harm, they don’t get a breather,” confided wily Walter.
The past few seasons have been a bit quiet by Walter’s fiercely competitive standards. He talks about each of these animals like a proud father. Maybe 2017 and 2018 will see the trophies returning to the Causeway Coast area.
* For more detail on the remarkable career of For a Few Dollars More, visit fafdm12.wordpress.com
YEARLINGS
LADYFORD BUCK (1yo, c, (GB) For a Few Dollars More - Frisco Dancer).
These Dollar yearlings compare well with any that I’ve ever bought at a sale. This fellow’s dam went 2.02 at York as a three-year-old. I have high hopes. He has the sires’ good conformation. LADYFORD DOLLAR (1 yo, c (GB) For a Few Dollars More - Ladyford Ideal).
Like Buck, I’m partners with my cousin Jim Stewart of Kendal, England. I raced the dam a few times for Jim, she was a 1.57 mare. We think he could be as good as his daddy. He is spunky to work around, you don’t want them too timid.
TWO-YEAR-OLDS
LADYFORD JIM (2yo c (GB) Kikicolt - Three Men Dreamin)
I’ve three months jogging into him on the country roads around here. He’ll go to the beach in March and then we’ll see what he’s made of. I like what I see so far.
KIKIS DECISION (2yo f (Ire) Kikicolt - Ballyhill Decision.
The dam went 1.57 for Jim Graham of Belfast. She is doing everything right and is staked in the Diamond Creek Delaney race.
AGED HORSES
PORTERSTOWN COURAGE (5yo g (USA) Cams Card Shark - Our Commitment.
Christy Dunne and I bought him in Harrisburg. His dam went 1.49 and has produced 1.49 horses. He has been plagued by injuries so I suppose the fact that I have persevered so long tells you something. With all his problems he has still won two races, this will be a make or break year.