On Saturday evening the former Great Pacer Pure Steel was recorded in the Victorian Harness Racing Hall of Fame. He is the only pacer who has reached this prize that has been trained outside of Victoria.
The ceremony brought back memories of the former superstar who wiped everything for him in the mid -70s. The only horse that three AG Hunter Cup winner won also won a wonder and four Pacing Cups in West -Australia and was known for his rising style to wear his rivals, no matter how hard he would have.
Saturday night’s event was mainly moving for trainer Mark Roberts whose father Russell the Toledo Hanover racing all over his career.
Relatively light raced in his younger days pure steel among trainer Fred Kersley won the West -Australian derby in three years old.
Mark remembers that: “I was 17 years old when Dad decided that we would go to the Adelaide for the Inter Dominion. After he was second to go back to Perth in the last Fred Kersley and left him with us.”
“He had a short period of two or three races with Kevin Brook. Dad wanted to race around Australia, so we brought him back home and gave him a break.”
“As a five -year -old he was in the hands of Phil Coulsen. We trained, but we had a stable with second stringers. Jack Retzlaff also had him for a while. I took him to Melbourne in 1977 and we stayed in Tommy Taylor’s place in Kilmore. Stephen Shinn rode him when he won the Kilmore Cup.”
“We had a meeting about his future and then I obtained a trainer license. He went to Miracle Mile. We trained him at home. Dad would take him away and I would take care of the team. If he raced in the eastern states, father would go to the stables of Ted Demmler at Carrum Downs in Victoria in Victoria.”
“He was unlucky when he finished third with Koala King in the Sydney Inter Dominion. But a few weeks later we won the Lord Mayors Cup with Laurie Molds who drove him. We went to eleven years old.”
What makes Pure Steel’s career all the more remarkable was his ability to perform the best in the entire country. In fact, he raced in every Australian state, including Tasmania, where he finished behind San Simeon in the Inter Dominion final. This is an achievement that would be difficult to match in the Harness Racing scene of today.
In 1980, Pure Steel was voted for Australian Harness Horse of the Year and he was also Australian Grand Circuit champion in 1979/80.
Roberts remembers the idiosyncratic temperament of Pure Steel. “He was full of himself, he knew he was in charge.” You had to stand over him and not let him get away with it. He would try it out with you. “” Despite his nature, we never had a problem traveling with him, whether it is a plane or a long road trip. ”
“I loved him and sometimes not so fond of him. He was special as he was shaken. He needed at least four days to adapt to new shoes.”
Pure Staal died in 1996 at the age of 25.
At Stud he left a few good behind, but nothing as good as himself. Desert Patrol in West -Australia was his best artist. Nevertheless, Pure Steel 362 foals produced for 85 individual winners who won $ 1,048,656 slightly more than the Grand Champion won in his entire career.
Today Mark has established a small team in Northam.
“I was so happy when he was admitted to Victorian Hall of Fame. I was really chuffed when he entered the Hall of Fame in West -Australia.”
The memory of pure steel is etched in a free for everything that is performed annually in Gloucester Park, as well as the Steelo bar that is a characteristic of the house of Perth with Harness races.
Although the price of the Saturday evening was richly the exploits and sparkle of Pure Steel, there are a permanent characteristic of harness races and that is why he will never be forgotten.
By Tony Milanese for Harnesslink
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