It’s common to hear harness racing participants talk about how they enjoy interaction with the ‘people’ involved in the game. Obviously as in all walks of life there are the good and the not so good, although in my experience the former far outweigh the latter and very often, the not so good ones don’t stick around long.

Anyone who has had experience talking to the media will attest that it can be a bit of a minefield at times. A recent example in our game was when the trainer of a high-profile trotter was asked about the horses return.

For those of you who haven’t heard of the above gentleman, legend has it that he considered himself to be so all-powerful that he plonked himself in a chair (probably a throne), on a beach, and defied the tide to come in. Unfortunately for him, the only thing he achieved was to get wet feet!

These are two words that are part of every day life for a Kiwi harness racing trainer. Initially they ‘nominate’ a horse for a race that it is eligible for, then, when the list of nominations are posted on the website, they consider whether to ‘accept’ or withdraw the horse for that race, for whatever reason.

I’m one those old ‘fuddy duddys’ who doesn’t live on social media. The idea of telling the World what I had for dinner, or signing up for ‘influencers’, and being advised what to wear or how I should behave, doesn’t really appeal.

The word ‘stalwart’ is probably overused (probably by me) when talking about people in harness racing who have passed on, as sadly so many have recently, but you would have to say that Keith Grice (who sadly left us this week), and his brother Bevan have earned the title.

If you’ve got a pacer rated between R35 and 55 that’s looking for a penalty free win, there are some rare chances to score one for a $10,000 stake this coming weekend.

In some circles, the lack of New Zealand representation at the upcoming Queensland carnival has been looked at as a disappointment. However, those who have local racing at heart and don’t particularly care what happens elsewhere, along with the powers that be in HRNZ, should be thrilled.

To be fair, I doubt if anyone but the Russian judge (sorry, an old joke that might not be very PC at the moment) would give the initial Trot Night session much more than a 3 out of 10.

A channel broadcasting harness racing, and only harness racing, will be launched this Friday. For every Friday night for the next six weeks Trot Night will be broadcast on Sky Channel 83 from 5.30pm to 10.30pm. It's a trial its backers hope will become permanent. This week it will feature the two meetings at Alexandra Park and Addington, with all races broadcast live.