George Simon: Daydreams, Don Henley and a Dazzling Debut
George Simon • October 13th, 2025 2:59 PM • 3 min read
Music has always been a huge part of my life.
One of my favourite all time bands is The Eagles.
I am an unabashed fan of the American supergroup, and for years I've enjoyed their music.
So much so I taught myself how to play one of their great songs, Hotel California, on the guitar (badly) and to sing it (just as badly), virtually before I could crawl.
It was the very least any self-respecting Eagles fan from Ngāruawāhia could do.
So, what has all of that got to do with this week's column?
I was watching Eagles lead singer Don Henley being interviewed one day and he mentioned how his imagination often wandered while performing live on stage in front of his adoring and screaming fans.
It resonated with me because I've often felt my imagination drift off into some weird and wonderful places while calling a race.
You'd think the hurly burly of a race call, where concentration levels are supposedly at optimal capacity, is the last place for a daydream.
But, in my case at least, you'd be surprised how often it happens.
And it happened again last Sunday when I was calling the first race at Rotorua.
As the field thundered towards the finish line, I suddenly thought I was in the Commentary Box at Alexandra Park.
Several years ago, I did a near five-year stint as the Commentator at the home of Northern Harness Racing.
Most Friday nights I'd be at the Park calling the action and watching names like Herlihy, McKendry, Butcher and Purdon fighting it out on the track.
I enjoyed it too.
Eventually, the powers that be came to their senses and replaced me with Aaron White, who actually knew what he was talking about when it came to Harness Racing.
The Silver jacket with the Blue Spots is synonymous with Harness Racing royalty.
The Purdon family have had an outstanding association with Harness Racing stretching back decades through the success of father Roy and his sons Barry and Mark.
Yamato Satona , a three-year-old colt by Satona Aladdin, made an auspicious winning debut for his owners Barry and Katrina Purdon and Dean Shannon.
A $250,000 Karaka yearling purchase, Yamato Satona is trained by Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott at Matamata and was confidently backed into favouritism by punters.
It was an impressive performance too, coming with a sustained finishing burst from well back in the field.
There are some lofty goals for the colt with the NZ 2000 Guineas on his dance card if he continues to impress.
If he wins it, I may even have to teach Barry Purdon a few chords of Hotel California to celebrate.
