Tom Ison: Move from Central Mangrove to Tamworth hits the spot for young reinsman

If the talented Tamworth reinsman was still driving for the Central Mangrove stables of prominent trainer Roy Roots jnr, he said he would have already been at work.

The chance to release the pressure valve was the motivation behind the 23-year-old deciding to return home early this year.

"It just become too much," he said. "I wanted to come home. It was just go, go, go all the time."

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Ison returned to Tamworth after a fruitful 2019-20 season. He drove 152 winners and had 200 placings for almost $928,000 in prize money.

"We were a pretty successful partnership," he said of he and Roots.

Upon arriving home, Ison said he was "having a little break" and planned to "head back at some stage" and resume his duties under Roots, whom he had been with for "about three years".

Fresh from three wins at Tamworth Paceway on Thursday afternoon, he now plans to stay put.

"It's a lot more enjoyable," he said of racing.

"We'd wake up and work horses to go to the races that night," he said of his time with Roots, "and then bed and wake up and do the same thing again the next day.

"It was just a continuous slog."

Born and bred in Tamworth, Ison is the fourth generation of his family to be involved in the sport.

His three winners on Thursday were trained by his father, Andy.

Andy's late father, Sam, was president of the Tamworth Harness Racing Club and was a driver and trainer.

"He was everything back then," Ison said of his grandfather.

Christened Gavin Samuel, he went by Sam because he "hated" the name Gavin, said Ison, whose humour is as dry as the Simpson Desert.

Ison's eldest brother, Sam, is also a Tamworth trainer and driver.

"He doesn't drive 'em very well, but he does," Ison said of his sibling.

Another elder brother, Ben, and a younger sister, Emma, also drove but "sorta give it up a while back", he said, adding: "Emma's thinking about coming back into it, driving a few, but having a full-time job makes it a bit hard."

His 15-year-old sister, Molly, is in the process of obtaining her reins licence.

One of Ison's winners on Thursday, Sir Macador, won a trial at Tamworth on Tuesday night with Molly in the gig.

"It's awesome," he said of her involvement in the industry.

Ison - who began his career in the 2014-15 season - replied "like to think so" when asked if he was upholding a noble harness racing tradition in his family.

His continued success on race tracks this season - 47 wins and 78 placings from 272 starts - is further proof that the harness racing industry was his real education.

"Dear God no!" he replied when asked if he finished high school.

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