By Chris Roots
Orange will host the first grass track harness meetings in NSW for more than 30 years as the carnival of cups rolls into town in February.
Harness Racing NSW was determined to keep a presence in Orange after its track didn't come up to minimum standards and a couple of trials on Orange's Towac Park race track have cleared the path for two meetings to be set down for February 5 and 12.
Off the track: Orange will host trots meets on grass for the first time in 30 years.Credit: Melanie Russell
"It is something different and keeps harness racing in Orange," Harness Racing NSW chief executive John Dumesny said. "We have to thank Racing NSW for their co-operation in getting this up and running.
"We had to move Orange's two meetings to Bathurst last year; it is great to have meetings back there [Orange].
"It is a long time since we have raced on grass in NSW, so it will be a bit different and it might be something we can look at in more centres.
"It's about using community assets and multi-using community assets and that's what will happen at Towac Park."
Meanwhile, HRNSW chief steward Graham Loch will leave his post at the end of his contract in June.
Family ties
Father-son duo Greg and Matt Elkins got their own piece of history when their horses finished in a dead heat at Albion Park on Friday.
Crowning Glory and Surface To Air, both trained by Greg, went to the line locked together and could not be split by the judge. Matt drove Crowning Glory, while Greg was in charge of Surface To Air.
Also on Friday night, Chicago Bull joined the greats from the Gary Hall snr stable as he complete the Fremantle Cup-West Australian Pacing Cup double to give Hall his 11th win in the latter event.
Chicago Bull sat outside the leader in WA's Grand Circuit race and was too strong to emulate one of Hall's greatest pacers The Falcon Strike by completing the double as a four-year-old.
He is likely to head to Menangle for a clash with New Zealand superstar Lazarus in the Chariots Of Fire next month.