Auctioneer Adrian Hancock returns to the rostrum at Gawler

This Sunday’s APG Yearling Sale at Gawler Harness Racing Club will mark the return of one of Australia’s most respected auctioneers — Adrian Hancock — to the harness racing spotlight.

Although Hancock has spent most of his career in the thoroughbred world, his passion for harness racing runs deep. It began in the Clare Valley, where he grew up on a 650-hectare farm and watched his grandfather breed top-class pacers. One standout was Fiery Land, a durable and successful performer whose exploits left a lasting impression on a young Adrian.

“My Grandpa bred Fiery Land, and I remember watching him race as an older horse with great success — that really sparked my interest,” Hancock recalls.

After leaving school in 1973, Hancock landed a job with Coles Bloodstock, setting him on a lifelong path in the auctioneering and bloodstock business. Despite his professional focus on thoroughbreds, harness racing remained close to his heart. Family holidays to Glenelg always included a trip to Wayville for the trots, and alongside his brother Robert, he bred standardbreds for many years — their biggest success being Pappy McCoy.

As an auctioneer, Hancock sold standout yearlings like Popular Port and Purple Para, and worked with Dalgety and the South Australian Trotting Control Board during the heyday of local breeding, when stallions such as Aachen, Sheffield Globe, and Kawartha Robust stood in the state.

He also played a key role in the revival of the South Australian Yearling Sale, serving as auctioneer for SA BOTRA from 2015 to 2017 — a period that saw the sale resurrected after a long hiatus dating back to the late 1990s.

Sunday’s sale may feature just 17 lots, but there’s quality among the yearlings on offer. The parade begins at 11am, and when Adrian Hancock steps up to announce the first lot, it will be more than just a sale — it will be the return of a South Australian auctioneering legend.

by Gary Newton for Harnesslink