Burrows out for driving display

Press, 31 August 1989, Page 41

Burrows out for driving display

PA Wellington The suspension of incompetent harness racing drivers continues, the latest being the Waikato horseman, Don Burrows, at Hutt Park on Tuesday night. Three drivers have been found guilty of incompetent driving in the last fortnight. On all three occasions the chief stipendiary steward, Peter MacKenzie, has been officiating.

The first was Dr Luc Chin at the Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting on August 18 and the following week, at the Waikato Trotting Club’s meeting, Violet Mercep became the second. Dr Chin was suspended for a month while Mercep and Burrows were put out for three months. In addition, it was recommended that the latter pair only resume driving in matinee and trial meetings before being allowed to drive in totalisator races. Asked if the incompetent driving suspensions were part of a new “gettough” policy, Mr MacKenzie said no. "It’s just that I haven’t had the misfortune to see these people drive before.”

Burrows was put out after his drive, Red Jumbo, fell with little more than a round to go in the Super Liquorman Mobile Pace for maidens. Mr MacKenzie said Burrows should have moved his horse off the rail after Red Jumbo had been pulling hard for some 400 to 500 m. “He could have got off the fence at any time, but he elected to stay where he was,” he said. “The horse ducked in and then ducked out. He never had control of the horse.” One other horse was brought down in the incident and Mr MacKenzie said the reason other runners never came to grief was that it was obvious well in advance that something was going to happen. "Most of the drivers could see it coming and they all got the hell out of it.”

Burrows, who is based at Te Kauwhata, pleaded guilty to the charge after hearing from Mr MacKenzie. Red Jumbo, a five-year-old Vance Hanover gelding making his debut, began to choke a few hundred metres before the fall, according to Burrows. “A few strides before he fell he began to get the wobbles, which they do when they choke.”