Easy-going St Arnaud harness racing trainer Scott Torney sometimes wonders just why he has ended up with a stable full of square gaiters.
“Once upon a time I only had pacers, but the switch began when I bought two pacers, and one of them turned out to be a trotter. That was all it wanted to do,” Torney said.
“And about nine or 10 years ago, (the late) Brian Kiesey set up his stable at St Arnaud and he just had a stack of trotters,” he said.
Scott Torney and the 13 year old veteran Tension Seeker (Photograph contributed)
“It’s a bit weird because they can take time to sort out and when it comes to handling youngsters, I honestly don’t have a tremendous lot of patience! I guess it comes down to the fact that I like a challenge. And anyone with a trotter knows that they can be challenging!”
Torney may well have found his niche because at Boort’s recent once-a-year Cup meeting (March 1) he celebrated the biggest win of his harness racing career.
His tough veteran mare Tension Seeker (Tennotrump), now 13, worked straight to the front in the $10,000 Railway Hotel Boort Central Victorian Trotters Championship and never looked in danger, scoring by an impressive 12 metres.
While Torney admits he rarely targets a particular race, the Boort championship had been firmly on his radar.
“I knew that she would handle the track for a number of reasons. I’ve got about a 500-metre sand track at home and she scoots around the corners – and, it’s hard to believe, but she’s won at that same Boort meeting for three years now!” he said.
Torney said part of Tension Seeker’s preparation involved a decision to do regular fast work away from home.
“These days I go out to the McNaulty (Shaun and Jason) boys’ property and do fast work. They are great to me and the horses definitely improve with going up against each other,” he said.
Like many of the Torney stable, Tension Seeker was hardly an expensive purchase.
“The most I’ve ever spent is $2000. I’m known as a ‘horse recycler’ – I get the ones that nobody else wants, something that’s not earning or sometimes one that has ability but isn’t trotting properly,” he said.
Scott Torney and wife Michelle with Boort track specialist Tension Seeker, remarkably, a winner on each of the past three years at the club’s once-a-year meeting.
“I only paid $500 for Tension Seeker and her brother Nail It, with the added condition of another $500 if they ever won a race. Tension Seeker has now won 10 races for over $67,000 in stakes.
“But I like picking up those cheapies. It kind of suits me. I do all the shoeing myself and I’m happy if I can get a horse to go around okay at the trials and do everything right – that’s a buzz and if I happen to get a race win, well that’s a bonus.
“I’m a one-man band and whatever I think might work, I’ll try it. I’ve had some successes and a few failures, but I love it.”
Torney said his interest in the sport came from following his father Barry into harness racing.
“Dad trained on and off for about 40 years. He grew up in St Arnaud and back then everyone here trained a horse. He gave it away when all the little tracks got closed,” he said.
“One of his biggest wins was a long time ago with Bobby Blue Print in the Donald Cup – and he got $350 first prize!”
Torney fared substantially better in the Trotters Championship at Boort, $5700 in winner’s stakes, plus a $2000 service from Alabar Farms.
“We’ve only bred a few over the years, but I’ll use this one and go to a trotting stallion!” he laughed.
“And I reckon Tension Seeker has still got a couple of years racing left in her, so we’ll keep fronting up at Boort!”
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