Fir’s (Creatine) win at Gore yesterday was special on a number of fronts.

Her success came on a day the Club celebrated its 125^th Jubilee, it extends the marvellous record of Fir’s dam Larix and provides local trainer Gay McClymont’s brother Ross Given with his first trotting winner as an owner.

In yesterday’s race driver Max Hill settled Fir into seventh place early, in the outside running line.

At the 450 he let the four year old mare roll and she progressed three wide around the field. By the time the field straightened for the run home Fir had reached the front and she went down to the line to beat Garonne by a length with Phishing, which had led, hanging on for third.

FIR REPLAY

To add to the occasion Fir was wearing the special set of 125^th colours which were designed and registered by the Club and worn by a runner in each race.

Fir is owned by her breeders Gay and her husband Noel and Gay’s brother Ross Given.

“My shoulder was wrecked last year and I hadn’t put her in the cart. I got Ross who had not long moved back to Gore to come round and put her in. He’s done all the work with her. I’ve just left them to it because they get on so well,” McClymont said.

Ross held a trainers licence off and on for seven seasons between 1976 and 1990. He trained Sapling (which he also part owned) to win thirteen of his twenty two successes.

“He’s really chuffed and I got his old colours re registered. They were Sapling’s original colours. He was farming and had family, but he’s come back and retired at Croydon where Colin and Ian McPherson used to live.”

McClymont thinks Fir might be the best of the progeny produced by Larix.

“Even before she was broken in she could trot round the paddock quicker than Rata and Styrax. She’s a full sister to Styrax but they have totally different temperaments. They both think a lot, but Styrax stresses while Fir doesn’t. She’s very competitive. Rata, Styrax, Fir and Imperial Man work together and they have to work to get anywhere near her.”

Fir’s win continues the fine record of Larix who has three foals of racing age, all of which have now won – Rata and Styrax have won six each.

“We can’t get her in foal. She’s missed three seasons. We might try embryo transfer because we know she actually forms a fetus.”

The Gore Club under the guidance of McClymont, put on a great display of memorabilia yesterday including gear and colours worn by the district’s great mare Robin Dundee.

“I got dropped into it to do this stuff about a month ago. They gave me two tables for the display but it wasn’t enough. We ended up with ten tables. People were just so generous to bring their colours and their wee stories along. The horse in the birdcage is wearing Robin Dundee’s harness. Brian and Lynette Hewitt (Brian is the son of Jack Hewitt who owned Robin Dundee) had a treasure trove of stuff. We got the horse (Fiberglass) from PGG’s and what I liked about it is that the horse had a white blaze and so did Robin Dundee.”

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink