The Commissioner’s Corner – Records Tumble in Round 4

25 February 2025

By Paul Cochrane

Remember back in the 80’s when the Aussies would get to 220 after their 50 overs and as the 18-foot skiffs went round on Sydney Harbour during the lunch break you’d make small talk with the old man about how they really put the foot down in the final 10 and there’s no way the Poms would be chasing that down?

And then along came Gilly and his first 15 forensics and the goal posts moved and everything just got bigger, bolder and moved a hell of a lot faster? Suddenly a far-fetched 12th Man parody where every ball reached or went over the boundary didn’t seem so silly after all.
There was a little bit of T20 threading through round 4 of Fantasy Harness Racing over the past week as the bonus points and Queensland’s Ultimate Driver’s Championship sent points-scoring into overdrive.
In the end, captain choice was more crucial than ever before and with the mega-scores flying in from all over the country, the Fantasy Harness Racing leaderboard was up and down like a yo-yo throughout the weekend.
Our ambassador Angus Garrard was blitzing it north of the border and put up the highest ever score for a Fantasy Harness Racing round. Okay granted, every point he scored counted twice but his 154 set the standard for a massive week of FHR action.
With multiple race meetings to accumulate points – as opposed to just the regular Friday night meeting at Gloucester Park – Gary Hall Jnr had a fill up as well with 130.
The big mover on Saturday was Pete McMullen who surged to 116, rewarding those who traded him in after a price drop the week before.
You really couldn’t lose with the UDC sextuplet, with all of them rising in price by the expected $200k this week.
But what we do know about this game is what goes up must come down – eventually - and owners now have some tough decisions to make.
On the back of those performances, we can expect another price rise in the next cycle. But it comes with a cautionary warning – will the points be there to match the inflation? Brad Hewitt is the prime candidate here. Another significant price rise looms regardless of what he scores this week. So, will owners be prepared to accept a lower score knowing the cash generation is in play or is leaderboard momentum more important in the short-term? This is a key strategic decision which could have a significant bearing this week.
Once again, there are bonus points galore up for grabs this week – doubles in four states and three triple points races in New South Wales with the Miracle Mile qualifiers taking centre stage.
Sure cash generation and more bank balance rewards are on the way, but are you holding the right drivers to capitalise on the bonus points available this week?
It’s why this week is the second-half of what we’re convinced is the most intriguing fortnight we’ve ever seen in Fantasy Harness Racing.
Some key points out of round 4 are:
  • We now have a new “most expensive” driver in the game with Nathan Dawson up to $3.288 million. That’s despite a 94 from his 20 drives in the UDC – which was perhaps below what many expected he might jag in round 4.
  • Through no fault of his own at all, James Herbertson is in freefall. If you could buy him at Coles his face would be on screen when Casey Donovan sings “Down Down, the Prices Are Down.” After sitting on the sidelines in Queensland all weekend as a UDC reserve, his highly-respectable 25 from the Thursday meeting at Ballarat was as much as Herbie could muster in round 4. Stay patient and you’ll be gifted a bargain in a few weeks. After a couple of lean weeks he’ll drop another $200k this week and probably again the week after. Then there will be a bigger rush on Herbie stocks than there was on toilet paper in the COVID days.
  • Despite the well-publicised and anticipated price-fall, Herbertson was still – for the fourth week in a row – the most popular captaincy choice in the game. It cost coaches mega points and had a say on the leaderboard.
  • Coaches are heavily invested in Gary Hall Jnr in Western Australia, but he can’t win them all – especially when he’s not even there! There were two double points races on offer at Gloucester Park in round 4 and it was Jocelyn Young and our ambassador Deni Roberts snapping them up. With four double points races in the west, they both look like great options. Jocelyn has doubled her opening value to be one of the genuine success stories of the season so far, while Deni is now back on the rise and looks a bargain - $400k cheaper than her original starting price.
  • South Australia could help decide the fate of many coaches this week with three double points races on the line at Port Pirie. The dilemma is this – the most popular driver in SA is Wayne Hill and for good reason – but his price is falling. He’s likely to be cheaper next week but that will be too late. The bonus points races are this week. Do you want the points or good fiscal management?
  • Wayne might be the most popular but he’s no longer the most expensive in South Australia. Ryan Hryhorec has been on a tear of late and his three winners on Saturday for a score of 41 catapulted him up $200k. Wayne’s wife Samantha also had another big week and she went up $200k after a 34. She’s now added a massive $600k value on her starting price through the opening four rounds!
  • Speaking of price rises – Jodi Quinlan has gone up by $630k since starting as a base-price $200k bargain in round 1. Her owners have been rewarded but the algorithm will start to catch up. She will need a decent haul in round 5 to maintain her price going forward.
  • We saw the price drop hit hard in New South Wales this week with young gun Declan Murphy dropping $200k after having just the one drive for return of just a solitary point. One drive for one point can be mightily cruel!
  • Tiarna Ford continues to surge in price in Tasmania. Her double at Hobart on Friday saw her rise to $890k – after starting the season as a base-priced $200k driver. She will go up again in price this week and is eyeing off a million-dollar price rise. Those are ridiculous numbers!
  • It’s that time of year again. The Carnival of Miracles is like Christmas for Luke McCarthy and he did coaches a favour with only a moderate price rise after round 4. At $1.866 million, some great drives and three triple points races on offer at Menangle on Saturday – it’s got a very familiar look about it!
  • As for Chris Alford, our esteemed podcast host Toby McKinnon will shouting “I told you so” after spruiking him heavily on the show last week. 62 points and another $200k price rise. He just gets it done doesn’t he. Chris that is. Not Toby. He remains a work in progress!
Plenty to look forward to in round 5 of Fantasy Harness Racing. You can be part of the conversation by tuning in to the official Fantasy Harness Racing show on SEN at midday (AEDT) on Wednesday’s or by finding the show later in the day on your favourite platform. To help you out – you can CLICK HERE to find it quickly.
Congratulations also to our round 4 winner Stephen Spark with his team Sparksy. Michael Manning and his team Manning90 continues to hold the overall lead but that’s been reduced down to just 24 points. The chasing pack are running great sectionals so watch this space!
Happy trading. Use them wisely!