Bob Kuchenmeister achieves personal goal

from Leigh News-Matrch 2023 Edition

2 New Advertisers This Month!

During my recent time meeting with Bob Kuchenmeister, I learned so much about horses and racing, having never had much to do with them. I knew which end the hay went in and I figured out which end it came out, but beyond that I personally had no idea.

I was also introduced to “Dicko” Dixon, a 7 year old, and as Bob quietly went about dressing this fine animal in harness gear for a 5 lap circuit of his training track at Inverleigh, Dicko moved about in the harnessing area, obliging Bob with every command from body harness, to head gear and finally accepting the indignity of having his tongue tied firmly in place to allow the maximum airflow to feed the carburettor of this fine animal. Harness racing is split into 2 disciplines, trotting and pacing, all to do with the leg action of the animal, and Hopples (low hanging harness about knee height) are also used to encourage the horses to keep in stride correctly.

Bob, on the other hand, has been around horses for many of his 82 years on this planet and while he is a quiet achiever, he is a wealth of knowledge and, in my eyes, a very competent horse whisperer. While Bob and I together were with 2 of the horses at his property in Inverleigh, I witnessed a true horse whisperer in action. Cool and calm words flowed gently from Bob and each of the horses appreciated this atmosphere surrounding us as I soaked up all this knowledge flowing from this great man.

Leeanne Leeann is a 7 year old and started her career in harness racing as a 3 year old, and it was with this beautiful girl that Bob achieved the final leg of the triple in harness racing, a win at the 3 main trotting venues in Victoria. Bob had previously won at the Melbourne Showgrounds in 1977 at the aged of 37, and was also successful at Moonee Valley in the same year.

Fast forward to 2023 and in January, Bob, driving Leeanne Leeann, sealed the triple by winning at Melton Harness Racing Track, this completing the triple of having a win at each of the 3 recognised main tracks in Victoria. It won’t happen again, and a few have been successful before, but Bob has this great achievement to top off his career in harness racing.

So Dicko Dixon was all kitted up and ready for his training trip around the circuit.

Gracefully at speed is the only way I can share with you what I witnessed that morning ........ and Dicko Dixon excelled too. Bob was exacting in every command I saw, and there would have been much more to the trained eye than what I observed.

At 82, Bob is an ornament to the sport, and while he has not won the Melbourne Cup of harness racing, the Interdominion, He has achieved at 82 what no other is likely to do, 3 fantastic wins at the 3 main harness racing headquarters of the time, the Melbourne Showgrounds, Moonee Valley and Melton.