Harness racing and the world's first sports superstar

Between them Down Royal, The Curragh, Epsom, Ascot, Aintree and Cheltenham have been shrines to horseracing for more than a millennium.

They are places of pilgrimage, where enthusiasts gather to admire thoroughbred horses doing what they do best.

Going back much further to the first century AD there is evidence, too, of how crowds flocked in great numbers to watch chariot racing in ancient Greece and Rome.

Gaius Appuleius Diocles was the Frankie Dettori of his day. Like the Milanese, he was a gifted showman who enthralled the masses with his flamboyant style. A similar knack of coming from the back of the field with a late surge to cross the line by a nose made him a box office hit.

History, however, does not report whether Diocles celebrated his victories with a distinctive somersaulting dismount in the winners enclosure!

Perhaps the man from the Roman province of Lamecum in Portugal was more intent on getting his four-horse chariot to a halt than engaging in such theatrics. Nevertheless a career total of nearly 1,500 winners from more than 4,000 races generated enough wealth for him to retire, aged 42, as the world's first and richest sports superstar.

Belfast's Alex Patterson might not have amassed the gold coin that came the way of Diocles, or taken the acclaim from those packed into the Colosseum or Circus Maximus, but at Daddy Winkers Lane (located in the vicinity of Malone Rugby Club's Gibson Park), the man nicknamed 'Lucky Diamond' became synonymous with harness racing

"My grandfather was from east Belfast - he grew up around horses and helped to re-establish the sport in Ireland," explains Patterson's grandson, also Alex Patterson.

"He was a boy soldier who survived the Battle of the Somme. After the war he travelled around Europe buying horses that were needed for industry in Belfast."

While the Icelandic pony, one of the breeds Patterson brought to Belfast, proved unsuitable for heavy work, its abilities were not wasted. During the week these horses pulled delivery carts for butchers, bakers and candlestick makers. At the weekend, they were harnessed up for sport.

"There were regular meetings at Daddy Winkers Lane and because of their small stature, these trotters were able to get around the greyhound track at Celtic Park quite easily. He began racing them himself."

"I met a man recently who told me that his grandfather had raced against my grandfather at Celtic Park and that the crowds were bigger than at some football matches."

Dublin-based Thomas Bennett can trace his family's connections with the sport back 100 years.

"Croke Park was used as a venue in the 1920s. My grandfather raced as did my father and I, too, have had a lifelong interest," he says. "I've been an owner, trainer, driver and more recently a harness racing commentator. You could say it's in the blood."

Bennett's passion for harness racing has taken him regularly to Portmarnock Raceway, West Cork and various oval circuits in Northern Ireland. Most recently Bennet has been calling the drivers and buggies at the Northern Ireland Standardbred Association's meetings at the re-opened Racetime Raceway at Ballymacbrennan, Lisburn.

In contrast, harness driver Joe Gardner has never been tempted off the open roads around Craigantlet.

"It's great to see the interest in harness racing, but I have no wish to race against others," says the former taxi driver, who moved to Belfast from Tyneside in the 1990s. "For me, as soon as I get on the cart, it's all about the adrenalin rush and sense of freedom from being pulled along by a big animal."

Joe can take his pick from his own stable of trotting horses named Gypsy, Dreamer - aka Big Red, Marley and Bonnie. "Each has its own spirit. Big Red can get up over 30 miles-per-hour on a mile and a half stretch. We work out with them every day."

"I got some strange looks when I first began driving a horse and buggy. Now people give me friendly waves. They appreciate that the old traditions of horse-drawn carts and vehicles are being maintained."

The Northern Ireland Standardbred Association (NISA), the recognised body for harness racing in NI, has launched a drive to re-invigorate interest in the sport. Two of this season's 10 race cards at Lisburn's Racetime Raceway have already taken place. Four others hope to be staged at grass venues.

"This is an exciting sport, and we want to get it beyond our dedicated supporter base," says Patterson, a director of NISA.

"Think of it like a pop-up sport. Anywhere we can put up a half-mile oval, we can do it. Places like Shanes Castle and maybe the Balmoral Show would be an ideal way to attract a new generation of followers."