The Inverell harness meeting this Sunday will kick start another youngster into the sport of harness racing – and she has been counting down the days.
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16-year-old Tamworth reinswoman Emma Ison will make her driving debut at the meeting and in doing so, will become a third generation to race in the sport. She’ll also be the first of the “girls” from her family to take the step up.
“I have been anticipating this for ages,” Emma said.
The name Ison has been around in the mini trot ranks for years – with Sam, Ben, Tom, Emma and Molly – and as they aged, they progressed to registered meetings.
Emma’s entrance into the harness racing arena has arrived and it couldn’t be planned any better.
Emma is pitted against her brothers Tom (Sir Pickles Yumyum) and Sam (Bassey) in her debut race – the Best Employment Inverell Pace – when she takes the reins behind Fear No Evil.
“I love racing against my brothers – we do it in the trials so it would be great in a race,” Ison added.
“They have always been looking out for me – Tom gives advice – sometimes cryptic but all good. I do feel a little bit intimidated as my brothers are so good at it.”
Emma was introduced to the sport courtesy of her late grandfather Sam Ison, and her father Andy of who Emma will take two drives at the meeting for – Fear No Evil and Franco Seville in the Wade Street Meats Pace.
After undertaking her trial drives and taking guidance from her older brothers, Emma is ready.
“I always wanted to drive the big horses ever since I was little,” she said.
And while Andy will have three of his children in the one race, Emma can already predict the feeling for her father.
“I think he will be a little bit nervous,” she smiled.
Emma is set, she is steely and not worried that her first charge Fear No Evil is coming out of barrier seven and later Franco Seville from the nine barrier.
“They are good horses. I know they will try their best no matter where we start,” she said.
And if Emma did win a race at her first harness meeting, how would she feel?
“I would probably be a little bit excited,” she said.
Emma has true grit – she is a former Country NSW softballer but now only plays the sport for a social outing whilst she undertakes a two-year Vet Nursing course after finishing school last year.
“I want to keep going, doing what we are doing, helping Tom and Dad with the horses,” Ison said.
“It has been a bit hectic – it was really intense at some points but I love it.”
Inverell will host a nine-race program on Sunday as part of the Carnival of Cups meeting with the first race starting at 1.15pm.
