Above: Champion harness racing trainer and driver Ted Demmler is still recovering from a horrific fall eight months ago, but was back at Cranbourne for Saturday night’s feature Christmas in July meeting.By Brad Kingsbury
LEGENDARY trotting trainer and driver Ted Demmler was a welcome face at Saturday night’s Christmas in July harness racing meeting at Cranbourne.
Demmler is recovering from a sickening race fall at Warragul last November that almost claimed his life and left him unconscious in the Intensive Care Unit of The Alfred hospital.
The 60-year old horseman, based at Carrum Downs, suffered four broken ribs, a punctured lung, a broken bone in his neck and a brain injury in the fall.
He was thrown into the air and landed heavily after his horse, Desert Red, crashed into another fallen runner at the start of a race and was then run over by a horse behind.
Demmler has since recovered from the physical injuries but has spent several stints in rehabilitation facilities at Frankston and Dandenong as the slower process of recovery from the head injury proceeds.
“I’m travelling a lot better than I was eight months ago,” Demmler smiled.
“I’ve still got a long way to go and, with brain injuries, apparently that’s part of the process. It’s a waiting thing and it is progressing.
“I’m definitely on the improve, I was in a psychiatric ward two weeks ago trying to get my medication right. I came out for a while but they wanted me to go back in until they got it right. It seems to be okay now,” he said.
Demmler has driven more than 3000 winners in a magnificent career, however he had scaled back his driving involvement in recent times and concentrated on training, with his son Craig doing much of the driving for his stable.
Craig took over the training work after Ted’s fall and that will remain the case until Ted gets the all clear from doctors.
“I’m not allowed near a horse or a cart for at least another 12 months,” he said.
“I do a little bit of work around the stables and I’ve got my faculties which I might not have had, so I guess I’m lucky there.
“The hardest part for me is not being able to help Craig out yet. He’s done a great job driving and training the horses since I’ve been off,” Demmler said.
Demmler said that while the fall had been a blow, he had seen just how many people were suffering and used that as a spur to regain his health.
“The broken bones never worried me, it’s just the head injury that’s held me back,” he said.
“But there’s a lot of people worse off than me and when you get down you just have to think about that and it keeps you going.”
Demmler’s spirits were further lifted on the night after his home-trained horse Cullombo, driven by Jodi Quinlan, saluted in the seventh event.
It was one of two locally prepared winners on the night with Jayne Davies’ filly So Perfect winning the fourth race at a blow-out price of $20.30.
Saturday night’s meeting was held in cold conditions, which kept the crowd number down slightly on previous years.
