Sport
30 January, 2023
Tim and Helen Mortlock capture coveted victory
It was a victory four generations in the making when Tim and Helen Mortlock claimed the Central Victorian Pacing Championship last week, with a photo finish revealing the mother and son duo’s lifetime dream of winning the race had become...
It was a victory four generations in the making when Tim and Helen Mortlock claimed the Central Victorian Pacing Championship last week, with a photo finish revealing the mother and son duo’s lifetime dream of winning the race had become a reality.
Their horse, Double The Hunter, which was born and bred at their farm in Carisbrook, had led for all but 200 metres of the 2150-metre event at St Arnaud last Monday, and was showing signs of tiring towards the end of the race, with Cee Cee In America bearing down to the extent that a photo finish was needed to seperate the two horses.
But when it was confirmed that Double The Hunter had held off the outsider by a short half a head, the celebrations began.
Not only had they saluted in the prestigious $25,000 event, they had also broken a long-standing family drought.
Helen described how Tim had finally delivered a victory that was four generations in the making, as the emotions overflowed.
“It was wonderful, magnificent. We were all barracking. We had our family jumping up and down,” she said.
“We had friends come from Castlemaine, Bendigo and as far as Corowa just to watch our horse, and of course, many people from Maryborough. We have a good fan-club.”
Tears welled up in both Helen and Tim’s eyes when the enormity of what they had achieved hit them, thanks to a rich family history that until now, had not included this race.
“Tim’s grandfather and father drove horses as well, so he’s fourth generation and it’s come down the line,” Helen said.
“Tim does all the hard yards with the horse. His grandfather and father would have been very proud. It was very emotional. Neither of them won it. They won many country cups, but were unable to win the Central Victoria Pacing Championships.
“Tim’s grandfather trained horses since he was about 14. He won the Miracle Mile, which is a prestigious event in Sydney, in 1969.”
An hour before the race, Tim had a look in the event record that was provided. He knew of the history of the event, which had been running since 1960, unaware that his charge would soon add to the list.
“There’s been some pretty good horses win it over the years. I only read the record to look at the winners an hour before the race. If Double The Hunter can go on to do some of the things those horses have done, I’d be pretty happy,” he said.
Double The Hunter, a short $1.70 favourite to win the Central Victorian Pacing Championship, was drawn ideally, having an inside run on the rail.
However, after a brief period where So Sirius — guided by Redwood winner Greg Sugars — had assumed control, Double The Hunter soon settled into the lead after So Sirius galloped.
According to Tim, the perfect game plan devised with rider Jack Laugher had fallen into place.
“I thought if he would take the lead, he would win. As it happened, So Sirius crossed him and galloped in front of him at the start, then in the final stages it got close, but he was lucky enough to hang on,” he said.
“I don’t know what would have happened if he had’ve sat behind the early leader, he might have been able to out-sprint him, but he started pretty short, something like $1.70 favourite. So he might have been expected to win, but it’s never easy.
“In the heat, he had to go outside the front row and had a tough run a couple of days before. So I told Jack just to get him on the fence, drive for luck, and if it came, great; if not, bad luck. The luck, thankfully, came our way that day. He won the heat pretty easy. Going into the final, from his draw, he’d lead and win; it didn’t quite pan out that way, but we won anyway.”
The event was part of a gruelling pre-race schedule for both the Mortlocks, as well as Double The Hunter, running four times in eight days across the state.
“He had a race at Charlton the Friday before, and then raced in another heat, which he won. He got put out of a draw at Charlton for poor manners, so we had to take him to Swan Hill to get him in for St Arnaud,” Tim said.
“I thought he had done enough to hang on. But it was only the last 10 metres or so that it really got tight. He had four races in eight days, so he was starting to get worn out. He’s out for a spell and gets a couple of weeks rest now.”
It’s a well-earned rest for Double The Hunter, who now adds to a short list of Maryborough-bred horses who have been successful in the event, according to Tim, who balances training and looking after his horses with a full-time job at Maryborough IGA.
“There’s been one or two locals win it over the years. There’s only been a handful do it,” he said.
“He spent most of his time at the Carisbrook Trotting Complex. We do have a track on the farm, but most of the time, he spends it at the track and getting trained over there. I also work at the track.
“We’re lucky that the track is one of the better tracks in Victoria, and right on our doorstep.
“We’ve been here forever — born here. I’ve shifted around a little bit, but I always seem to find my way back around here. I work in town most of the time and I’ve always trained the odd horse, played sport, etc. You kind of go to school here and wind up knowing everyone. Small towns are like that.
“I never train any more than two horses, but I’m training four at the moment. I normally work full-time, but it’s not so bad at this time of the year because the days are a bit longer, but it’s tough in the winter.”
Tim reflected on the enormity of his own achievements on Monday afternoon.
“My grandfather also won the Bendigo Cup, Ballarat Cup, a lot of the major races,” Tim said.
“I found that I just picked it up along the way. You learn it without realising you’re learning it half the time. It’s part of the job when you’re with them all the time. It’s just second nature to it all."
For now, Tim will start to plan Double The Hunter’s schedule around big cup events after his well-deserved break, following their victory at St Arnaud.
“I’ll bring him back ready to go for Mildura at their cup carnival, and trying to race up there, but then we’ll see what happens after that. I think going forward, he will definitely be a cup horse,” he said.
“He’s suited to the smaller tracks, so St Arnaud, Charlton, those sorts of places where the better horses don’t go for a start, and then we’ll see what we can work into.”