The Commissioners Corner – Fantasy Harness Racing Round 1 Wrap

Driver Cameron Hart.

The opening round of Fantasy Harness Racing for 2025 has been finalised and lockout has now been lifted ahead of a fascinating second week of the national game.

What an exciting opening round we were given on and off the track, with big guns firing, upset results and even a washout to throw many coaches plans into complete chaos.

It certainly wasn’t without drama and we got a pretty quick introduction to the curveballs and unpredictability that can arise in Fantasy sports.

Now that lockout has been lifted and the first instalment of driver price variations has been applied, there are some key observations and reflections to make ahead of round 2!

1. We got the pricing pretty much spot on. Sure there was some value to be found but those that were priced high carried dollar signs onto the track for a reason.
2. The game moved at lightning pace in round 1. There were race meetings across the country on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. On Saturday there were 36 races carrying points – five of them with double and triple points bonuses – within a five-hour window. It made for a dynamic leaderboard as results came in.
3. James Herbertson is the most expensive driver in the game and he showed why. The dude just accumulates points. He strolled to 88 and only 5 of those came as bonuses in the Melton feature races. He topped the weekly scores and shapes as a must have for serious players. But can you afford him now? He’s now well over $3 million and rising!
4. Kate Gath is a star no matter where she drives but on a feature night with the Teal on her back she goes to another level. Her drive to pick up double points in the Great Southern Star final was an absolute peach. She’s now on the verge of a $2 million price tag.
5. No Newcastle, no worries for Cameron Hart. The back-to-back king of Fantasy Seasons 1 and 2 rewarded those who threw the captaincy on him, making up for Friday night’s Newcastle washout with a 50-point haul in a half-hour span, winning the Ladyship Cup and of course the Group 1 Hunter Cup with Swayzee.
6. For the NSW drivers that stayed home, the Newcastle washout was costly to their price tag. Big guns Robbie Morris, Josh Gallagher, Will Rixon and Jack Callaghan all registered lower points returns than we’re used to seeing from drivers with their Fantasy pedigree, resulting in big price drops. That means their break-even will now be out of control, so expect that price dip to continue for another week at least. That also means there’s bargains to be had for savvy shoppers down the track.
7. The Queensland $2-million trio roared and justified their price tags in week 1. Pete McMullen topped the scoring with 63 but Nathan Dawson and Angus Garrard also both got amongst the wins and rose in price heading into week 2.
8. With the volume of racing and concentration of venues in Queensland there is opportunity to put scores together and two of the main examples of that were Matt Elkins who belted out a whopping 59 and Layne Dwyer with a 42. If you want them in your team they’re available for purchase but they’re almost certain to be worth a lot more if you wait a week!
9. Gary Hall Jnr is in a class of his own in the west. What can you say about Junior? He had just the one race meeting at Gloucester Park to weave his magic and he thumped a 56 to fatten the scores of his owners. The $2-million club is just days away.
10. The pricing system is quite volatile for our WASAT friends with a number of price drops across the board. Some made gains though, notably Dylan Egerton-Green in the west who went up more than $200k, as did Samantha Hill in South Australia after her 33. Jordan Chibnall put $152k on her price tag in Tasmania but it’s pretty clear that with only one race meeting a round to score points at, it will take a Gary Hall Jnr type performance for the WASAT drivers in the million-dollar category to make serious cash in any given week. Mind you, Wayne Hill isn’t cheap but South Australia’s most expensive driver still managed to climb in price with a 37 to now be on the verge of $2-million.
11. Some base price drivers made massive leaps to almost double their price in week 1. Declan Murphy and Zara Fitzpatrick in NSW, Jodi Quinlan in Victoria and Tiarna Ford in Tasmania all made a mockery of their price tag and significantly boosted their value.
12. Speaking of value, that’s the name of the game and there was no-one better in week 1 than Brian Portelli in New South Wales. He bagged a double at both Penrith and Menangle for a round score of 46 to obliterate his price tag. A $280,000 driver with the 10th highest score of the round!

Now, just to show there are some smart cookies out there in Fantasy Harness Racing land, lots of coaches managed to nail their teams for round 1.

• The most popular drivers in each state just so happened to be the highest scorers too in five of them. Pete McMullen (Qld), Cameron Hart (NSW), James Herbertson (Vic), Gary Hall Jnr (WA) and Wayne Hill (SA) all topped the table in their respective states. In Tasmania the most popular selection was Tiarna Ford who wasn’t far from the highest score in the Apple Isle but at $200k she was certainly the best value for money trade.
• Despite not having a drive in the Hunter Cup – which carried a triple points bonus – coaches were still happy to go with James Herbertson as their captain. Herbie was the most popular skipper by a mile. Cameron Hart was second and there was even a fair bit of love for Gary Hall Jnr – even though he had just the one race meeting of drives. He certainly didn’t let his followers down.
• James Herbertson went into the opening round as the most popular selection, despite being the most expensive driver in the game.
• Teenage sensation Jett Turnbull was the sixth most popular selection overall while coaches were also keen to take a punt on Grant Dixon in Queensland – even though his drive behind Leap to Fame in the Hunter Cup was his sole engagement for the round.
• Round 2 kicks off with an afternoon meeting at Redcliffe on Thursday. You’ve got two trades up your sleeve and depending on how your team performed in week 1, maybe even some extra cash to play with if you spent wisely.

Once again there is a weekly prize of a $150 dining voucher at the nominated race track in your state up for grabs for the highest scoring coach. Congratulations to Michael Manning who had a blinder in week 1 with a score of 837 to be the early clubhouse leader.

Good luck with your trades for Round 2. Don’t forget to listen to the official Fantasy Harness Racing podcast with Toby McKinnon and Amanda Rando at midday AEDT each Wednesday through the SEN or wherever you get your podcasts immediately after the show.

There is also still the opportunity to join or set up a League in the Fantasy Harness Racing platform. It’s a great way to take on your friends, family or even randoms and bask in the glory of success.

New users are most welcome. The more the merrier. To sign-up for Fantasy Harness Racing 2025 head to www.fantasyharnessracing.com