It is with much sadness that I advise that this is the last edition of Track Watch, so I’m sure you will forgive me for taking the opportunity of thanking many deserving people, starting with you; the regular readers of this column.

Declining health issues, which my family prefer to call reclining health issues, have brought the inevitable time to pass the baton, or in the racing vernacular, hand over the reins.

In the very first column which appeared almost 13 years ago on November 1, 2002, I stated that the column was designed to bring you news from the Moruya Jockey Club about the horses, trainers and jockeys based at our home track, their performances both at Moruya and at other tracks in the south eastern racing region, and highlights of their forays into the top level metropolitan and provincial meetings. 

I hope that you all believe I have adhered to that mission statement in a readable and positive weekly way, and as I have never received any complaints regarding content, I will happily assume that that is the case, and I thank you.

I am leaving you in the capable hands of Sam Strong, who has a keen interest in our local racing and everyone involved in it, and who will continue with his excellent pre and post-race meeting, reports from our home track. 

But wait, there’s more. 

You will also have a new regular fortnightly news column coming directly from the Moruya Jockey Club’s secretary/manager Brian Cowden and long-term committeeman Darcy Nelson, who I’m sure you all know. 

I can’t wait to read their column, now coming direct from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, both with years of experience in the racing industry and locally in particular. 

I sincerely thank all past and present presidents, vice-presidents and all committee men and women for their gracious and generous inclusion and friendship for the whole life of Track Watch, and for taking us all on an upward spiral ride at our club of excellence, our region’s premier social and sporting venue.

On behalf of us all, the Moruya racing fraternity, I thank Brian Cowden for his fantastic long-term manager’s input, which has been the backbone behind the rise of the Moruya Jockey Club in this modern era.

I also sincerely thank everyone I have been associated with at the Bay Post/Moruya Examiner, for their friendship, support and assistance, beyond the call of duty, during the many years of the column’s life. 

It could not have occurred without their help and I repeat my thanks to you all.

I have made many friends at the track, including all our trainers, jockeys, fellow members and our patrons. 

I thank everyone for taking me on this long, exciting and unplanned ride and for their acceptance and appreciation of my column.

As usual there have been plenty of success stories for our Moruya horses, trainers and jockeys over the past few weeks since Easter, kicking off with our Easter Cup meeting where five of the six races were won by our local trainers with John Law’s Circuit Spirit finishing second in the sixth. 

The winner of that race, visitor Scoring, was ridden by our own Roly Saxton, so we’ll call it a clean sweep anyway.

The following week Lynda Bundy’s Jacakaizane and Joe Ible’s Vision and Verse raced at the Warwick Farm mid-week city meeting recording a fourth and a second respectively in their assignments. 

Chicka Pearson’s debut starter Shoulder Charge, ridden by Maddy Wright, finished a close second and Chris Hensler’s Jayko finished third in their respective races, as our best performance at the Nowra meeting on April 14, and Chicka’s Stake Knife, who was a winner at our own Easter meeting, won again at Goulburn last Saturday.

Joe’s Babylon Note, ridden by Maddy, finished second in her race at that meeting.

I’ve certainly liked what I’ve seen in all of Maddy’s rides since she resumed race riding at Easter and it’s great to see her getting plenty of rides not only from our local trainers but from others across the region, and Tim Phillips looks well on the way to another Picnic Jockey’s premiership for the season.

Finally I wish you all a safe, happy and peaceful future, and as always, good luck and good punting.