Seeing a “local bloke” win on Boxing Night is one of the highlights of the year at Dubbo Harness Racing Club and Peter and Hayden Lew are hoping they’re the ones crossing the line first this time around.
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The father-and-son duo will team up on Wednesday night, the annual festive period meeting again expected to draw a massive crowd to the showground.
Hayden has only been in the driving game for just over a year but his family is a staple of the Dubbo racing industry, meaning there was never really any other option but to get involved with the sport.
“I love it. I’ve been brought up around it and I just love the sport,” Hayden said.
“It’s an adrenaline rush when you’re out there driving.”
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Hayden made a stellar start to his driving career, driving Nekite River to victory during his first meeting in the gig in September of last year.
Since then, according to his father, there’s been a lot of “ups and downs” but development has been clear to see in recent times.
Drives can be hard to come by but the teenager has been getting more consistent with each meeting and he shocked everyone when he drove $71 outsider Rebel Element to a strong second-placed finish at Parkes earlier this month.
Rebel Element is one of two hopes the pair will combine with on Wednesday, the lightly-raced gelding will contest the Colleen O’Neill Memorial (1720m).
“He’s been working really well he’s going good,” Hayden said.
“He surprised all of us,” his father added.
“We didn’t think much of him but we changed a few things around with him but he’s really appreciated it.”
Hayden will also drive Nekite River for his father in the Western Plains Granite Pace (1720m) as well as Sporty, for John Lew, in the night’s opening event, the West Dubbo IGA Ladyship Pace (1720m).
Hayden confessed he’ll need a little luck with all three if he is to get a winner but just being part of the special meeting is always something to enjoy in itself.
“This is our biggest meeting of the year,” Peter Lew said.
“I know there’s a lot of people around for Carnival of Cups at show time (in April) but ideally we’d love our Carnival of Cups to be on Boxing Night. Bathurst just has theirs that night though.”
Bathurst will also be hosting one of its biggest meetings of the year on Wednesday night, but plenty of trainers from the leading centre for the sport will still be represented at Dubbo.
“Just seeing so many family and friends at the races hypes everything up and all trainers are the same,” Peter said of the meeting, before speaking about the battle against Bathurst trainers.
“They’re really strong trainers and really strong horses that come up against us. But everyone is always happy to see a local bloke win because we know how hard it is to win a race against the likes of the Bathurst boys.”
“The rivalry is good for us as well and it improves our standards by racing against them. We’ve got to go up against them and it’s terrific.”
What would make the night even more special for Peter would be seeing his son score a win.
As is the case with any young driver, there’s been plenty of struggles and tough times during Hayden’s first year in the gig, but Peter said there’s plenty of good signs.
“There’s been a few highs and lows and he started with a really big high when he won on his first day of driving,” Peter said.
“There’s been some lows but that’s what all sports bring and it’s how you deal with those lows. Hayden has dealt with the lows well and you’re starting to see the fruit of his work now.
“He’s driving more consistently and he’s able to summarise races better than some times he could earlier in his driving career.”
Racing on Wednesday night starts at 6.35pm, with the last event setting off at 10.04pm.
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
