Tony Dumesny – A lifelong commitment to Harness Racing

A career spanning more than fifty years in harness racing will be officially recognised this Sunday 13 September when prominent studmaster and Parkes harness racing club administrator Tony Dumesny is honoured for his achievements.

After spending almost his entire working life in harness racing Dumesny is moving to Queensland for a well deserved retirement.

Dumesny’s late parents Stan and Nancy ran the famous Ruby Vale Stud. It was a result of a severe racing accident to Stan that gave the impetus to young Tony who was still at school to join the operation while at the peak of the breeding season.

Dumesny later sold Ruby Vale and bought a small property of 40 acres near Parkes which became Clarinda Park.

Dumesny stated

This is the end of getting mares in foal. We haven’t had stallions rather we’re doing an AI (Artificial Insemination) AI station.

I’ve got about 3 mares left, and I’m getting 100 mares in foal for other people.

It was not uncommon for 400 mares to be on the stud property before the advent of artificial insemination. Ruby Vale Stud has stood 25 stallions, amongst those leading NSW stallions that have sired winners well into the thousands.

However in his parting words Dumesny is pessimistic for the future of harness racing.

I think the horse has bolted. In the 1980s we had about 8,500 foals annually in New South Wales and forty years later we are now down to about 850 per year. And its not just New South Wales but its all over the country.

The biggest problem is the age of the participants, as people have got older there isn’t the younger ones to take over. In the 80s we had so many large studs for example Rosewood, Brooklyn Lodge, Golden Gait, Killarney and Karamea stud farm. Once they closed down agistment became too expensive and not so many mares are served.

There’s no one to take over from the former big names.

We have lost a generation after mine with little interest in getting involved. Where are the people to replace Barry Rose Charlie Dixon, the Handos and the Simpsons.

There is no one to carry on anymore. Young people can’t buy land and there’s little incentive to win the stake money on offer.

On the club front where Dumesny has run operations at Parkes he stated

People who have been running clubs for years are getting too old not wanting to get involved further in administration.

This is a valid point and its reflective of the age of many of harness racing club officials who can’t find younger people willing to take on those roles for running a club.

The problem we have (and other clubs as well) is that no one comes back to see harness racing. At Parkes have a big meeting in New Years Eve, and our turnover has been very good with about 1500 people in attendance.

At our other meetings we get few people attending and its even considered to be boring to go to the races.

We keep talking about the old days when we had the likes of Paleface Adios, Hondo Grattan, Gammalite and Popular Alm. People would go to see those champions race on a regular basis. The best example we have today is Leap To Fame, he brings the crowds in and we need more of that.

It’s a business but there’s no personality left in the sport. When horses are lost at Parkes, those small time owners won’t give their horses to a professional trainer. It will be a battle encouraging owners into the sport.

Tony along with his parents Stan and Nancy became the recipients of the 2021 NSW Outstanding Contribution to Breeding Award recognised for their significant contribution to the NSW breeding sector over a sustained period of time.

It was indeed a proud moment for Dumesny as he paid tribute to his parents for giving him the grounding in harness racing.

However Dumesny isn’t entirely lost to harness racing. He’ll continue to work remotely on the Parkes Harness Racing Club administration on race meeting organisation even when he departs for Queensland in the second week of October.

Tony Dumesny is one of the many quiet achievers who has devoted his entire life to the development of harness racing. Along the journey he has assisted hundreds of owner of mares getting into foal and his selfless dedicated actions as a studmaster and club administrator is indeed a wonderful achievement.

It won’t be just this Sunday at Parkes when he is officially honoured, there are numerous people who will reflect and express their gratitude to Tony for his accomplishments and commitments for which he has sacrificed so much.

Everyone involved in harness racing wishes Tony a well earned retirement after so much he has put into the sport that he has loved all his life.

 

By Tony Milanese for Harnesslink