Harness identity will be missed

BRUCE USHER will be remembered as one of the greats of Tasmania’s harness industry and his death late last month resulted in messages of condolences being sent to family members from around Australia and across the Tasman.

Usher died peacefully at the Mersey Community Hospital at Latrobe after a short illness at age 90.

He was a successful trainer and breeder and his love of standardbreds was second to none and that endearment grew from an early age.

Usher began his association with horses when he was a child helping his father who was a milkman, and he later followed the family tradition delivering milk on a horse and cart.

His foray into training pacers and trotters stemmed from a family involvement in the racing industry. His late father, Bob, was a prominent greyhound trainer who won a Hobart Thousand and an Australian Cup, while his uncle Dick Baker trained thoroughbreds.

Usher’s career in harness racing began in 1943 in Tasmania and ended in his home state in 2006 but he also ventured north to Queensland where he made a name for himself from 1987-97.

He was one of the most respected horsemen of his time and many of the great horses he bred and trained had the prefix ‘Ark’ with Ark Title (Title Holder-Arkriki) the best he had in Queensland, winning 21 of his 71 starts along with 23 minor placings for almost $60,000 in stakes.

Usher bred Ark Maree that was successful on the racetrack but even more successful at stud and in 2008 she was named Australian Broodmare of the Year.

In Tasmania he had a lot of success in his later years with Armbros Revenge, but he regarded Ark Raider the best he had in his home state with two of his biggest wins coming in the 1982 Easter Cup and St Leger.

Usher was a great family man and he and his wife of 43 years Elizabeth spent most of their married lives around horses. They returned to Tasmania from Queensland in 1997 and set up at Brighton, just north of Hobart, and they lived there for 15 years until they moved to Shearwater on the North-West Coast.

Usher was meticulous around the stables and treated his horses with respect and love. The ingredients, he said, were essential to being a successful horseman.

When this writer sat down with the gun horseman before he and Elizabeth moved to Shearwater, he shared some secrets to his success but as they were discussed ‘off the record’, they must travel with him to the other side.

The first horse he leased was Arkmay that produced Arkriki, that was not only stunning on the racetrack, but she went on to produce multiple winners at stud.

Bruce is survived by his wife and two sons, Robert and Tony, and five grandchildren, Mat, Catherine, James, Georgie and Emma as well as eight great grandchildren. His funeral service was held at Graham Family Funerals last week and there was hardly a Tasmanian harness identity missing from the gallery.