Peter and Marie Neil have been involved in the harness racing industry for more than two decades and have also been dedicated supporters of the Bathurst Harness Racing Club for many years, so it was no surprise that the couple were named 2018 Gold Crown Carnival Honourees.

“We were both very pleased and thankful,” Peter said. “After 20 years of being a supporter and sponsor of the Bathurst Harness Racing Club and the Gold Crown, it was an acknowledgement which we gratefully received.”

Bathurst Harness Racing Club CEO Danny Dwyer said selecting the pair for the honour was a quick and easy decision for the board.

“On the back of not just their contributions to harness racing here in Bathurst but in the broader community of harness racing they were an easy choice,” he said.

The pair have a deep affiliation with Bathurst, making the Gold Crown honour more significant.

“Though I was raised in Orange, my father was brought up in Bathurst and we still have family there, but it was one of my brothers, Terry, who introduced us to the harness racing industry,” Peter said. 

Terry Neil is the track announcer at Bathurst and his enthusiasm for the sport from a young age saw Peter and Marie catch the bug.

The highly respected pair began in the industry with a part-share in a horse and have broaden their involvement to now include a very successful breeding establishment at Goulburn with a band of 35 broodmares and training facility for 30 horses based near Bathurst, under the watchful eye of long-time trainer Peter Bullock.

“Peter and Marie have both been continually involved with the industry for such a long time and their breeding operation has helped ensure our quality of racing stays high,” Mr Dwyer said. 

The couple have had a generous helping of success in harness racing, but it is not the wins nor prize money which continues to attract.

“At the moment we have run horses in 1300 races and 15 of these have won more than $3 million,” Peter said. “But to be honest, the prize money doesn’t even cover costs. We participate because it is a nice recreation industry. Harness racing is a family-oriented sport where people are down to earth and practical. We say it’s a more egalitarian pursuit and less expensive to participate in than horse racing.”

The couple, whose horses carry the name Shannon after Peter’s maternal grandparents, are edging closer to Gold Crown success, having three runners up in previous finals with Haka Shannon, ChristopherShannon and Paddy Shannon, and a heat winner in the Gold Tiara with Lacy Shannon. They have also claimed juvenile horse of the year titles with Schmokin Shannon, ChristopherShannon, Zenitra Shannon, Chloe Shannon and Skirmish.