By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk
A memorial service will be held on March 1 for one of the mainstays of the Marlborough harness racing scene Mark Gill who’s died suddenly in Blenheim.
The 76-year-old, a hobby trainer for 30 years, was still working fulltime as a farm worker and had been shoeing and working horses only a day before he had a sudden and unexpected medical event.
“It was a huge shock for everyone to lose him so quickly,” says grand-daughter and training partner Kendra Gill.
After moving north from Oxford in Canterbury “about 50 years ago” Mark Gill got involved in the sport in the 1990s.
“He took out his trainers’ licence in 1994 – the same year I was born,” says Kendra.
“Racing was not a business for him, it was a hobby and he loved the horses, he was hooked on it.”
“He was real old school and had a huge passion for rugby, racing and beer and if he wasn’t talking about one of those he was talking about the other!”
Mark trained 24 winners on his own account, the first being Flight Dujour at Greymouth in 1999.
Training out of the Waterlea Raceway in Blenheim, grandfather and grand-daughter went into partnership in 2022.
“We worked as our team, we had a few disagreements with the old versus the new but we always figured them out.”
Their first winner was Amarla on their home course in January 2023.
Amarla was their best horse with six wins and the mare provided them with their biggest racing thrill.
“Winning the Winter Rewards at Addington was like winning the New Zealand Cup for us. It was worth $25,00 and we’d never imagined we could win a race like that.”
Driven by Robbie Close, Amarla was at double figure odds that day at Addington in April 2023.
“It was so special.”
Among their other good winners was eight race winner Hes Fast And Furious. They had 11 wins together. Now Kendra will carry on the Gill name along with Mark’s daughter Jacqui. They have seven in work. Among the team is Amarla’s full sister Honour Bright Note who qualified last year.
“He’ll be gutted not to be there when she gets to the races.”
A memorial service for Mark Gill will be held at 3pm Saturday, March 1 at the Springlands Tavern in Blenheim.
