Jack-pot! Trainer lands first double in 50 years

Few people in harness racing love the game quite like Jack Sullivan – and right now, the game is loving him back!

At 79 years young, the country Victorian trainer-driver is thoroughly enjoying his 50th year in the sport, landing three victories in the space of three days last week, all with his beloved square-gaiters.

“It’s never happened before, so I guess we’re entitled to be on top of the world,” Sullivan, of Carlsruhe, near Kyneton, laughed.

In fact, the purple patch is four wins in eight starts – beginning at Maryborough in February when Chantilly Lass (Majestic Son) was successful.  Sullivan then saluted at Bendigo last week (April 8) with Sonnyboy (Majestic Son) and Major Max (Majestic Son) and followed up two days later with Chantilly Lass again at Maryborough.

“Bendigo was pretty special because that was my first winning double since I’ve been in the sport,” Sullivan said.

“Along with my wife Glenis and daughter Nicky, we just love it – we’re not in it for the money, but getting accolades from our peers is special,” he said.

“We know how hard everyone works at it, but we’re all in it together and we love the camaraderie in the sport.  We’re the first to congratulate anyone else who gets success!”

Sullivan said they were thrilled longtime friend Jodi Quinlan had enjoyed the recent success with the stable.

“Jodi is a very good driver and she’s always willing to help out. She’s been terrific to us and has a great record with four wins and two seconds from seven drives for us.

“We’ve got two runners in the same race at Melton this week and I part-own Sonnyboy so I’m obliged to drive him, but Jodi will be back on Chantilly Lass.”

Sullivan’s journey into harness racing came after injuries curtailed a successful football career, playing under 19s for Footscray (the team coached by Bulldog legend Ted Whitten), collecting four or five best and fairest awards along the way, before opting for country football.

“I enjoyed the country life better.  I ended up doing a cartilage in my right knee and an ACL in my left, so I knew when it was time to give it away,” he said.

“I was playing for Panton Hill Redbacks (just outside Melbourne) in a game against Mernda and I told an opposition player it was my last game. I said I used to go to the trots every Saturday night and he knew (trainer) Pat Cooper and said he’d introduce me.

“He did that, and so I went up to Pat’s place one day and was watching them putting carts on, with no idea about how to put the harness on.  Then Pat yelled out to me ‘was I just going to stand there, or help out and drive one?’”

Sullivan was put behind a horse called Crafty Kid with instructions to get in front and run particular times for four laps.

“I can still remember it like it was yesterday. Of course, I didn’t have any idea, but Pat told me not to stress – the horse would pretty much do it himself!  So off I went with Alphalite, who was a top horse, breathing down my neck.

“The last lap felt like every man for himself – I had so much adrenaline in that hitout – but surprisingly I beat Alphalite by a couple of metres.

“Alphalite went across to SA a few days later and ran fourth in a big race, then they took Crafty Kid, who was trained by Jack Caldow, to Melbourne and won a fair bit on the punt.

“That hitout was just the biggest thrill. I was share farming a property at Doreen doing about 3500 pigs but from then I’d duck off during my lunch hour and fastwork at Yarrambat for Pat!

“Pat taught me everything. He was a brilliant horseman and had many great horses. He was like a second dad to me and took me under his wing for four or five years.”

Sullivan’s first taste of training success came in 1978, when an ex-football teammate Gary Fyfe moved to Mildura and offered him a trotter.

“They didn’t have trot races up there. I went to get some advice from Pat who quickly told me he couldn’t help me with a trotter,” Sullivan said.

“I was a bit naive in those days but I ended up winning with it (Daisy Crockett) at its second start. That was such a thrill and we won another two and a heap of placings.”

Sullivan last trained a pacer in 1983 (Lochlee Vance, three wins from five starts) and his current three-horse team is all square-gaiters – just the way he likes it. It was a shift that likely prompted Sullivan to became hooked on the challenge of shoeing, going on to spend 45 years as a highly regarded farrier.

“I was so busy doing shoeing that I only had time to train one horse. These days I just stick to our own horses, but if anyone rings for advice, I’ll help out as much as I can,” Sullivan said.

“It’s still a challenge and I get a kick out of seeing someone else’s horse go on and do well. It’s a bit of a buzz.

“There’s no set rule. You just keep trying different things – particularly with the square-gaiters, but I enjoy it.”