Trainer Clayton Harmey eyes big finish after 1000th career win

Harmey prepared the first two winners - Mitsi Gaynor and Abdicate - on the Newcastle program on Friday night to move past 1000 winners and reach a goal he set at the start of the season. He also hoped to get 100 wins for the year and claim the Newcastle premiership.

The 43-year-old has 80 wins across the state this year and leads the Newcastle premiership pointscore race from KerryAnn Morris 770 to 704, although he trails the Sydney trainer on victories at the track 60 to 58.

Harmey was glad to get to 1000 after coming close to the mark at recent meetings.

"We did it with a double, so that was even better," Harmey said.

"That mare [Mitsi Gaynor] is racing well, and she probably should be going better. I just can't find the key to her.

"She does it all within herself. Her heart rate comes back really low and [driver] Blake [Hughes] says it doesn't feel like she's putting in.

"Abdicate, the draw helped and he was back in grade.

"He led and obviously got a bit of pressure but won. But if he did that exact run in the grade above, I reckon he would have got rolled. But it was good that he won."

Harmey is not counting on getting to a century this season after taking less runners to Tamworth this year and instead focusing on the Newcastle title. He hopes to at least achieve that goal before scaling down his operation.

Chronic back pain, from injuries sustained in falls when a race driver, has taken its toll on Harmey, who also wants to spend more time with his family.

"I don't know whether I'll get my 100," he said.

"I've done it once before and it would have been nice to do it this year, and we'll keep pushing, but it's going to be a hard battle.

"This is my last real crack at [a Newcastle premiership], so I'd like to go out a winner in a sense.

"I'm cutting back after this year. I've had enough. With my back now, it's too hard, and I've been doing it flat-out for a long time.

"It will be a team of 15 or 20 [next year]. That might sound the same now, but to keep success, you have to keep a big team around you.

"I've had 50 horses or more around me the last couple of years, with 25 to 30 in work at any one time but another 20 sitting in the paddock ready to turn over.

"I'm down to two in the paddock now, so I've been working at cutting back for a while now.

"We'll just keep looking for the next Saint Crusader and horses like that and poke around."

On Monday at Newcastle, Harmey has Beatboxer (race one), Always Idle (three), Major GNP (five) and I'm Quick As Fire (eight) with winning chances. Grace Panella, who is one away from 100 winners, drives all four.

"Beatboxer, it's obviously a drop in grade for him and he should be doing something," Harmey said.

"It would be good for it to win and get Grace to 100. It's one of hers, she deserves it and it should be winning."

Always Idle will debut off a winning trial before heading to Queensland on Tuesday to chase Q-bred bonus races.

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