KIT Walker might be the ghost who walks, but when the phantom comes to the Bathurst Paceway later this month his alter ego will be known as Kevin Thompson.
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As part of a massive program which will signal the Bathurst Harness Racing Club’s farewell to the Showground Paceway on September 21, Thompson will conduct a phantom call.
The race will be called the ‘Greatest Ever Bathurst Showground Paceway Cup’.
“Pretty much as a finale to our last ever meeting, it seemed appropriate to put a race together based on the selections of a number of people, including current members, past presidents, secretaries and media. We asked them to put together a list of the top five horses they have seen race on the track,” Bathurst Harness Racing Club’s chief executive officer Danny Dwyer explained.
“We will correlate the results and come up with a field, based on public feedback, who were the best 10 horses to race on the Bathurst track.”
The club invited around 250 people to vote and of those, they got 100 responses, which Dwyer was very pleased with.
While still working on the final field and planning a barrier draw, there is little doubt there will be some quality horses in the mix when Thompson conducts his call.
Dwyer did not reveal any names, but hinted at which horses may make the cut.
“We have definitely seen a range of horses – from those that race in the 1920s through to current times,” he said.
“Anything that was in and around the InterDominion are very popular and there have been a lot of horses from the 50s and 60s that have been quite popular.”
There has been plenty of speculation among Bathurst residents and the harness racing community as a whole as to who will be in the final 10 – names such as Smooth Satin and Hondo Grattan have been frequently mentioned.
“It is certainly something which has created a lot of attention, which is what we set out to do,” Dwyer said.
“It is very important from the club’s point of view to recognise the history of the Show-ground because we have been racing here since 1910.
“This gives us a chance not just to recognise the horses, but the owners, trainers and drivers as well.”
Tonight’s eight-race meeting at the Bathurst Paceway will give a nod to the much anticipated call when the Phantom Race Call 21 Sept Pace is held over 2,130 metres.
Nathan Hurst’s Tulhurst Tully shapes as one of the better chances on the back of two second placings in his last two outings, but he does have to contend with a tricky barrier seven draw. Steve Turnbull’s The Lagoon-trained duo Coopers Beach Boy and The Space also deserve respect.
Tonight’s meeting gets underway at 5.32pm.