Southern Snippets

Bruce Stewart Contributor

Although the Nathan Williamson harness racing stable didn’t achieve it’s main goals, plenty of positives were gained from the recent venture north.

Flying Ellie (Art Major) won $18,665 for her owners and added value to her broodmare future by picking up black type, running second to All You Need Is Me in the Group One Northern Oaks. She also ran third in a Ratings race on the first night of the carnival.

Dreams Are Free (Captaintreacherous) achieved one of his goals by impressively winning a heat of the Garrards Sires Stakes. But in the Woodlands Stud Northern Derby he was caught wide for the majority of the trip and faded to eighth. He earned his connections $16,000 in two races.

Ruby Roe (Captaintreacherous) ran a very good third in the Group Two Ladyship Stakes on the first night earning her breeders and owners John and Katrina Price more black type. On the second night she was left parked in the Northern Oaks and faded to run seventh. She earned $10,285 on the trip.

All three look to have positive futures at the highest level and return home to prepare for their Group assignments at Ascot Park on Diamonds Day. Flying Ellie and Ruby Roe will target the Group Two $60,000 Macca Lodge/Nevele R Stud Southern Oaks. The aim will be for Dreams Are Free to deliver Williamson his third Alabar Southern Supremacy Stakes - a race that also carries a stake of $60,000.

Bluto (Sweet Lou) a recent export to Australia won in his first start at Menangle on Saturday. 

Now trained by Brad Hewitt, Bluto won by 1.4 metres pacing the mile in 1-50.6.

The four year old was purchased at the 2021 NZB Standardbred Sales in Auckland for $37,000 by Otago trainer Graeme Anderson and won four of his twelve starts in NZ.

Anderson has retained a share in the pacer with the other partner being Australian Micheal Boots.

Bluto (Bruce Stewart Photo)

This Thursday sees the running of the 63^rd New Zealand Kindergarten Stakes at the Young Quinn Raceway at Wyndham.

The inaugural Kindergarten Stakes in 1961 raced for a stake of $1,350 was won by Lordship. This year’s edition will be run for the highest ever stake of $60,000.

Many of the race’s winners; Lordship, Tactile, Matai Dreamer, Holy Hal, Young Quinn, Master Mood, Honkin Vision, Akuta and Don’t Stop Dreaming have gone on to be among the best standardbreds this country has produced..

As a trainer Mark Purdon’s name is on the honours board thirteen times. His first winner was in 2002 when So Cool won. In the last eleven years he’s trained nine of the winners.

The race record of 1-53.3 is held by War Dan Delight while Blair Orange is the race’s most successful reinsman, winning four Kindies.

The Hunter family were one of those responsible for founding the Wyndham Harness Racing Club and on Thursday the race named in their honour will be run. Family members have won the Hunter Handicap four times. Hamish lead the way with Blueberry Hill (1982), Cornell (1991) and Devil May Care (2013) while Greg Hunter won with Cool Scooter in 2018.

Last year Cya Art trained by Steve and Amanda Telfer won the 2400 metre pacing feature.

Cya Art after winning the Hunter Handicap last season (Bruce Stewart Photo)

Southland’s premier harness racing day Diamonds Day will deliver the biggest stakes in the province’s history.

A Group Three, Two Group Two’s and a Group One plus a strong supporting card will deliver $375,000 in stakes across the Ascot Park meeting, run by the Invercargill Harness Racing Club.

The Group One Diamond Creek Farm Two Year Old Classic is the leading stakes race with $110,000.

In nine years the race has grown from $22,000 to $110,000. It was accorded Group Three status in 2017, made a Group Two race in 2021 and this year, along with the Ascot Park Hotel Invercargill Trotting Cup becomes the equal richest race in the province in both harness racing and galloping.

Diamonds Day is on Sunday 21^st April.