Nathan Dawson has been as dominant as any reinsman ever has been at Albion Park in recent seasons and the leading Queensland driver will carry the favourite tag into the inaugural Ultimate Driver Championship.
Following Wednesday's big draft at Albion Park, the 29-year-old was quickly installed as the public elect with bookmakers.
As of Thursday morning, the multiple Group 1-winner in the bike is the $5 favourite to claim the overall UDC title with champion Kiwi driver Dexter Dunn around the mark as well at $5.50.
Dawson will be driving for the First Over Crush Syndicate which is headed by harness form analyst Ryan Spice.
Spice, Dawson and their crew of slot holders were working feverishly during the draft to land their reinsman the plum crop of drives and as the market shows – they have picked wisely.
The name for the teams syndicate comes from the vocal cords of the voice of harness racing in Queensland Chris Barsby.
The revered Barsby is known for saying ‘it is a first over crush’ in the concluding stages of races and Spice and his group were keen to give the leading broadcaster a nod of respect with their syndicate name.
“It is a group of 22 people that have come together, they are all different types of people,” Spice said.
“We have trainers, owners, harness racing enthusiasts plus a few pro punters. I love the form and I love betting so here we are.”
When Barsby was first informed that his famous call was being used for a syndicate name in the UDC, he admits it caught him off guard to a degree.
“I am looking forward to it and I think it is cool that people like the call,” Barsby said.
“Hopefully the first over crush call can get a run during the series.”
Barsby estimates that he has been using the line for the best part of a decade and notes that it only comes out when a horse has done it tough during the run but still holds on to get the chocolates.
Dawson became just the second ever reinsman in Australia to tick past 400 winners for a term when he achieved the tally during the 2023 season.
He has posted more than 200 winners in each of his last five campaigns, largely driving at Albion Park.
The quietly spoken Dawson will share the UDC experience alongside a number of his closest friends within the harness racing game.
“Our slot holders, it is a pretty big group and a lot of them are family and friends,” Dawson said.
“We all got together and joined in to try and get a slot, luckily we were able to.”
There are not many going around who are better when it comes to analysing races and form than Spice.
As he knows the Sunshine State form inside and out, he understood that Dawson was the man to lead his syndicate.
“It was a pretty easy selection for me, being a Queenslander,” Spice said.
“I have long been a big fan of his driving talents so we thought it was a natural fit that we recruited him as our driver.”
On the first evening of the UDC on Friday, Dawson partners with Queensland trainers Trent Dawson, Ron Sallis, Ben Battle, Grant Dixon and Doug Lee inside the first five races.
“It is very exciting to be a part of it,” Dawson said.
“Obviously it is the first one of its kind and to be selected for a slot, it is a big deal and something to be proud of. Hopefully we can bring home the money.
“It is one of the biggest things that us Queensland drivers will have over the rest of the field – knowing the horses, we know them inside and out and what suits them best.
“I think it is quite a big advantage that we have.”
With Dunn on the second line of betting to take out the first UDC, Dawson has selected the American-based Dunn and Yannick Gingras as the two reinsman that he is looking forward to competing against over the coming two days.
“I think different drivers from all around the world, getting together to compete against each other in 10 different races over two days – that will be exciting,” Dawson said.
“I am looking forward to seeing how everyone competes against each other.
“Some of the drivers here in Queensland we race day-in-day-out so I am looking forward to taking on the ones from overseas that you watch and win all the big races over there.
“The ones from America are the ones I am most keen to see here at Albion Park.
Speaking before Wednesday’s draft, Dawson identified his cousin Pete McMullen as the most likely first champion of the UDC as he knows the local Queensland horse stock inside and out.
Following Wednesday's draft, McMullen is rated as a $6.50 chance with bookmakers for the series.
The UDC will be contested across 20 races, spread over two feature nights at Albion Park on Friday and Saturday.
Click here to learn more about the Ultimate Driver Championship.
