Trotting mare has Norris team flying

Husband and wife harness racing team, Danny and Gill Norris have had some outstanding horses over the years, but they are thoroughly enjoying the deeds of their eight-year-old square gaiter Desert Flyer at the moment.

The couple, based at Little River, 50 kms south-west of Melbourne, have posted two recent Melton victories with Desert Flyer (Pegasus Spur-Desert Chase (Sands A Flyin).

"She's one of my favorites that's for sure. Every time she goes to the races you know that she'll give it her best," Danny said.

"It's probably her consistency that wins me over because you could count on one hand how many times she's stuffed up," he said.

"She hasn't won many of the real big races, but starting off as a two-year-old she has raced in every final she has gone in."

When Desert Flyer won the $20,000 Aldebaran Park Trot last Friday, it took her to just shy of $200,000 in earnings. She has 18 wins, 18 second placings and 23 thirds from 150 starts.

She's been a hugely satisfying conveyance for the popular couple who have pushed through some tough times in the sport, as well as enjoying a good deal of success.

Nearly 22 years ago, Danny had a brush with death when he was involved in a sickening racefall at Moonee Valley – an incident that would be the catalyst for the removal of running rails across Australian tracks.

"I was in the running line and ended up going over a fallen horse. It was similar to a motorbike accident because I just went flying through the air – straight into the inside running rail, but narrowly avoided it with my head," he said.

Danny suffered serious injuries, smashing his collarbone and ribs. He also had a collapsed lung and pulled five nerves in his neck that controlled his right arm.

Gill explained that during a 12-hour operation on Danny's arm, surgeons found he had also ruptured his aorta.

"He had a stent put in through his groin and at the time he was only the second person in Australia to have that procedure. He would have died but for that operation. They told me it was also fortunate that he was so fit," Gill said.

Danny spent two weeks in intensive care. He was hospitalized for another month and then there were weeks of rehab before being allowed to go home and a long road to recovery.

"I'm fairly healthy, considering, but I'll never have the full use of my arm again," he said.

"Prior to my fall I'd been on a roll because my previous three drives had been winners. I was okay at it, not in the Alford, Caldow or late Gavin Lang league, but I loved it and I guess I do miss it in a way, particularly that we have to now chase someone up for the trials."

Gill admitted she thought about getting a driver's licence when Danny got hurt.

"I would have loved to have driven, but I think our young twin boys at the time might not have approved. Besides I would have had to get someone else to do all the other stuff," she said.

The Norris Team have been training full-time for the past 35 years and have a 17 hectare property with an all-weather 850 metre fastwork track. They've been associated with many great horses- such as Hushed World, Jamyan Prince, Alabamas Idol, Conaroyal, Moments Like These, Sokys Image and My Bella Donna.

"I learnt off Eric Hurley over 45 years ago and at one stage we were working up to 25 horses. We'd actually decided to cut back just before my accident," Danny said.

"Probably a horse who I think was going to be our best was a trotter in Conaroyal (a half-brother to Desert Chase). He was brilliant and won six of his first nine starts as a 3yo (2008-09 season). He did a tendon and then broke a splint bone which went into his suspensory," he said.

"He then had over four years off and came back and won again. I had to then put him out for another 2 1/2 years and he won (in 2016) and was placed and that was it."

Gill has a favorite in Alabamas Idol (a trotter sired by the mighty Maori's Idol) who won 17 races and 18 placings for $187K in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

"He was up there with our best in my opinion and he's my favorite. He's out in a big paddock at our place and turns 25 this year. He's happy and will live out his days with us," she said.

Although they race both pacers and trotters, these days they tend to prefer the latter.

Gill said that Desert Flyer was broken in by a good horseman in Norm Armsden, who always had a high opinion of the horse.

"Her dam Desert Chase was sired by a pacing stallion Sands A Flyin, but she never paced at all in her life. We won 13 races with her as a trotter before she broke a leg and had to be retired," Gill said.

"We got into the breed through Les and Joan Tilley. They have both gone now but were lovely people and good friends of ours. Les was timekeeper at the Showgrounds and Moonee Valley for years and they went to New Zealand and bought some well-bred horses that we bred from.

"At the moment we are only doing a few, including two youngsters. One is a half-sister to Desert Flyer by Creatine, and there's a gelding here by the same stallion. We broke them both in-the first ones we've done for ages."

 

Terry Gange

NewsAlert PR Mildura