Terry Browne says winning the SENTrack Inter Dominion Trotting Championship grand final is a bucket list moment.
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The Tamworth sporting identity, and long-time harness racing enthusiast, is still celebrating after Just Believe claimed the 2022 edition of the prestigious Group 1 race on Saturday night.
Browne is, along with ABC Radio New England North West sports editor Mark Lowe, fellow Tamworth locals David Pike, Bob Peterson, Greg and Judy McDonell, and Inverell's Margot Sweaney, part of a big ownership group in the six-year-old.
He, Lowe, Pike, Petersen and Sweaney were all trackside at Tabcorp Melton Park to experience the momentous win.
"Just elation," Browne described the feeling as.
It's his biggest win in over 40 years of owning harness racing horses, and something he has been chasing for a long time.
He came close last year with Just Believe finishing third in the 2021 Inter Dominion final at Menangle.
Then under Michael Hughes, the gelding moved to the Myrniong stable of Jess Stubbs about three months ago, and has gone on to win seven of his 10 starts since.
In winning the final on Saturday night, he became only the 13th horse to complete a clean sweep of the championship - winning the qualifying rounds and final - since its inception in 1948.
"I'm still coming to terms with that one," Browne said on Monday.
He also earned his connections a healthy bonus with the winning prize purse $142,500.
But for the local contingent, who have been racing Just Believe for about three-and-a-half years, it wasn't really about that.
"It was nice prizemoney, but at those levels winning the race is worth much more than the prizemoney," Browne said.
They don't come much bigger than an Inter Dominion.
A former president of the Tamworth Harness Racing Club, and presently on the board, Browne first started following harness racing back in his cricket and footy days.
Being on at night he could go without it interfering with his playing commitments.
And eventually he "fell in love with them (harness horses)".
That then morphed into owning. He bought into his first horse in the early 1980s.
"It was an overnight success," he said tongue-in-cheek.
"I think my wife had one that started at the old Harold Park but that's been about it. I've had winners but nothing of class."
Until now, that is.
He got into trotters (they are different to pacers) a few years ago, after a trip to Europe.
"They have only trotters in Europe, not pacers, so we thought well this would be a bit of fun to do, something different after a long time without a really good horse. So we went into a couple of trotters and we've got another couple coming," Browne said.
He and a few of the other owners stayed down in Victoria for the three heat runs and the final, making a bit of a holiday out of it.
It was a memorable ride.
The only unbeaten horse heading into the final, it was a gutsy performance from Just Believe after starting from the outside gate of the back row.
"He drew the worst barrier he could have drawn and put up with a reasonably tough run," Browne said.
"He went around the field and sat outside the leader and sat outside the leader and the driver (Greg Sugars) got him home."
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