Geelong honor for stalwart John
John Ballestrino knows harness racing will never recapture packed grandstands and roaring crowds of the high-flying 1970s and ‘80s – but his passion for the sport is still strong as it was when he first sat in the grandstand of “the showgrounds” as a 14-year-old.
“My family ran a milk bar in Gordon Street Footscray – we didn’t have any connection with the trots and I was never really an animal sort of person, but I did get an interest in going to the Showgrounds,” Ballestrino said.
“I’d hook up with three or four other young fellows and we’d walk there. The running joke was that there were three ways to get home – train, taxi or walk, depending on how we went. We usually walked!
“But the racing itself was such a spectacle, especially at the Showgrounds, where you were just so close to the action and for that reason, out of the three codes of racing, I just loved the trots. That’s the pity now, where people sitting at home betting on their accounts don’t get that same experience,” he said.
“But harness racing is and will always be a great sport, and a family sport and that’s one of its real strengths, I think.”
All smiles . . . John Ballestrino.
“I didn’t have any idea that I was getting it – in fact I’d prepared a speech to present it to another committee member. Everyone else knew, my family, all of the committee, I think I was the only one who didn’t know!
“It was a lovely honor though because when Ray passed away, I had the idea of starting the Ray Beckley Memorial Night in 2013. I’d always held Ray in the highest regard, and I used to joke that being on the committee was one thing – you still had to be anointed by Ray!”
The late Ray Beckley, who was president of Geelong HRC from 1969 to 1984, and who played a major role in establishing the Club’s Beckley Park complex.
Ballestrino’s boyhood interest in harness racing morphed into ownership – and in a big way – when he met former Kiwi John Green in the mid-1990s.
“I was introduced to John by (former trainer) Michael Langdon. John was bringing horses in from New Zealand, and he’d imported a horse called Kiwi Motoring. We got talking and he offered me a half share – I bought it the night before it had its first Australian start in Bendigo, and it won by the length of the straight!
“We went on to form a company called Aussie Kiwi Limited and we imported hundreds of horses over the next five years, mainly to onsell to other Australian interests.
“John’s mantra was that ‘everything is for sale’ and there were plenty of stories of him making offers to buy horses as they were being geared up to go out on the track! He was that kind of bloke. I learnt a lot off John, all good stuff – he was brilliant.”
Ballestrino said the company enjoyed 106 winners in its first season of racing.
“We won races at every metropolitan track in Australia. Our best horses were Infinite Spirit and Cracker Night who both won cups. We had horses with (Elmore trainer) Cliff Powell as well, and for eight or nine years I really didn’t do anything but drive around Victoria to watch our horses race. We were lucky of course, because luck’s always a factor, but John knew his horses, too,” he said.
“In New Zealand in those days, they kept the good ones, and we usually got the second tier. If they could run 4th 5th or 6th over there, the rule of thumb was they would win country races here. And if they were running third or better, they would win metro races, here,” he said.
“That was until the Canadians became involved in buying and things changed – we were relegated to the third-tier horses at best.”
Ballestrino, who lives at Point Cook, said after he retired from the company, he began work as an electorate officer for local MPs, including former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, former Victorian Attorney General Jill Hennessey, and currently Opposition Whip Joanne Ryan.
He became involved in Geelong HRC, because it was the closest club to where he lives.
“I just love the club and the committee. I can’t speak highly enough of them. There are no hidden agendas, no egos, and that’s why it’s really rewarding to be involved. We’re all just focussed on what is best for the sport and the club.
“I remember in 1976 when Moonee Valley opened, you couldn’t move in the place. To get a decent seat at the Valley, you used to have to reserve a seat in the grandstand for $10! People think you’re mad when you tell them that. Even at my home club, Geelong, the crowds were huge.
“I don’t have any horses racing at all now and haven’t for quite a while. But it’s definitely something I want to get back to when work commitments allow.
“There is absolutely nothing like the feeling of being in the grandstand, with heaps of people around you, cheering your horse home and celebrating a win with your friends and family. It’s one of the great things to experience.
“Those days are never coming back, which is a pity, but I think harness racing, and certainly our club, is fairly healthy.”
Terry Gange
NewsAlert PR Mildura
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