'The Doc' finds his groove at Marburg ahead of festive season

By Jordan Gerrans

Veteran Queensland horseman Errol O'Shea might just be about to have an early visit from ‘Old Saint Nick’ if his pacer Doc Harvey can repeat his performance from Marburg on Tuesday afternoon.

Doc Harvey – who has taken a liking to the Marburg surface in recent weeks – claimed the first of three Christmas Cup heats from the track on Tuesday and therefore qualified for Sunday’s Final.

The Christmas Cup meeting is a popular event on the Marburg calendar every year.

Doc Harvey’s pilot Leonard Cain wasted no time in Tuesday’s heat, firing off the arm to take an early lead as the short-priced favourite.

Cain was able to hold the premier position for the entire 1850 metre trip and score by just under two metres.

The 75-year-old O'Shea only has the one pacer in his Sheldon barn and is enjoying poking along with ‘Doc’.

“I thought if he crossed the one and two horse ok and was able to lead – I thought he was nearly a good thing in that field,” O'Shea said.

“He has been racing pretty consistently this time in and I thought he could win on Tuesday.

“I think it will be a bit harder in the Final. I would prefer to space his runs a little more but we will press on to Sunday’s Final.

“He is no champion but he is a handy little horse when he gets the right run.”

With Redcliffe out of action in recent weeks as their lights are upgraded, the Marburg Pacing Association has picked up a glut of race meetings.

O'Shea and his bay gelding are most certainly not disappointed with the shift in scheduling as Doc Harvey has hit a purple patch of form.

While Tuesday’s victory was only his first over the last month, the six-year-old was only just beaten by a short margin on two occasions in November.

“For some reason, he likes Marburg but he does not like Redcliffe much,” the veteran trainer said.

“He goes around Albion Park quite well. He seems to get around Marburg strangely enough.

“He has been back from a spell and that is all he has done, raced at Marburg.

“He was only just beaten first-up and then went close to winning last week.”

Doc Harvey also won at Marburg in late July as well.

Doc Harvey has been in O'Shea’s care since March of last year after previously racing in NSW and Victoria.

The conditioner has held a trainer's licence for much of his life.

“It’s been a lifetime passion, but I’m just a hobby horseman,” O'Shea said.

“It is enough to keep me busy, I wouldn’t mind one more in work to race.”

Ben Battle’s Highway Writer and Mister Diamond – who was trained and driven by Trent Moffat – were the other two heat winners on Tuesday ahead of the upcoming feature decider.

O'Shea also has a rising two-year-old that has just been broken in that he is looking forward to getting to the races.

“She is a nice little filly, by Mr. Feelgood that I bred,” he said.

“She is out of Classytoff - a mare that I had – who is an Art Major mare out of a good New Zealand family, so I thought she would be worth breeding with.”