What follows is a breakdown of major statistical records for the 2017/18 NZ season (1 August 2017 – 31 July 2018) excluding age group by gait winners and other categories that will be advised following 2017/18 NZ Harness Racing Awards to be held on Saturday 29 September 2018.
Personnel Stats :
Drivers –
For the first time in a decade, a changing of the guard at the top of the drivers premiership saw Blair Orange take out his first championship with a record 232 victories and become just the second driver after Dexter Dunn to achieve a double century of wins (achieved at Manawatu Raceway on Tuesday 22 May 2018). This was Blair Orange’s fifth successive year for breaking a century of wins. Leading throughout the year Blair Orange had a lead of 19 over second placed Dexter Dunn (213) who has had 2,221 winners in New Zealand over the past eleven and a bit seasons.
Orange’s lead over Dunn was mainly courtesy of 46 driving successes at Manawatu Raceway during the season (all but three for Canterbury trainer Michael House). Harness Racing NZ earlier announced that the 2017/8 Drivers premiership winner would represent NZ at the 2019 World Drivers Championship in Sweden – Blair Orange.
Dexter’s brother John placed third on the premiership with 93 wins. Matthew Williamson (83), leading northern driver David Butcher (80) and Samantha Ottley (66) rounded out the top six. For the first time over the past thirty seasons Ricky May finished outside the top six, albeit in seventh place with 64 winning drives.
Blair Orange recorded his 1500th winning drive at February’s Addington Premier (Five Star) meeting while Mark Purdon did likewise early in March at Cheviot’s meeting at Addington. Blair advanced his tally to 1,600 with his winning drive on Madaboy at Forbury Park on 19 July 2018.
On a UDR basis of those with more than ten drives, Natalie Rasmussen with 43 wins from only 89 drives (0.5968), Mark Purdon, thirty nine wins (0.5349), amateur driver Sheryl Wigg with seven wins (0.5072) and Ineka Lee, three wins (0.4444) clearly led the way.
In the junior ranks, Matt Anderson, was a clear winner with 43 wins placing him twelfth equal overall in the Drivers premiership. Morrinsville junior Alicia Harrison took out the NZ Young Drivers Championship [12/13 July FPTC/Addington] with North Islander Ben Butcher again second. Harrison is the third female to win the title after Lauren Pearson (1998, 2002) and Michelle Neilson (2014). The Darren de Filippi Memorial Trot for Junior Drivers was this year won by Mark Hurrell on outsider Redwood Invasion, one of fifteen winning drives for the season.
Ladies were in charge where the Amateur Drivers Premiership was concerned holding three of the five leading positions, two of them being sisters Sheryl and Cheree Wigg. The Amateurs premiership went the way of Sheryl Wigg (seven wins) from Alan Edge (five) and joint third place getters Colleen Negus, Cheree Wigg and Neil Munro (four wins). The Amateur Drivers Championship for the first time in fifteen years saw a dead heat on count back between Neil Munro and Colleen Negus (last year’s champion), both finishing with 29 points.
Leading Driver : BLAIR ORANGE, 232 wins (1,321 starts), $2,399,966, both new seasonal records, UDR .2,841, 1,607 lifetime NZ wins
Leading Junior Driver : MATT ANDERSON, 43 wins (371 starts), $390,065, UDR .1905
Leading Amateur Driver : SHERYL WIGG, seven wins (23 starts), $38,268, UDR .5072.
Trainers –
The Trainers Premiership ultimately proved an easy win for the Mark Purdon/Natalie Rasmussen team (122) despite a sustained challenge from the Robert Dunn stable (operating two stables – Pukekohe, Woodend Beach : son John) recording 96 wins. Michael House courtesy of 43 victories at Manawatu meetings throughout the season finished in third place with 57 victories. Leading northern trainer was Steve Telfer (50) finishing fourth overall to be followed by a tight group of Cran Dalgety (48), Mark Jones (45), Ken and Tony Barron (43), Greg and Nina Hope (42), with Tony Herlihy, Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett finishing with forty wins rounding out the top ten positions on the trainer’s premiership.
During the latest season Mark Purdon went past the 2,000 training wins milestone (908 on own, 558 with Grant Payne, 649 with Natalie Rasmussen) while those to pass the 500 mark were Nigel McGrath, former World Diving Champion Mark Jones (also member of 1,000 driving wins club), Murray Brown, Brian Hughes (in various partnerships).
Auckland Cup day on New Year’s Eve saw the Purdon/Rasmussen team go to further heights – seven winners on a twelve race card (starters in nine races), including two at Group One level and a listed race. The Auckland Cup saw Natalie Rasmussen (Vincent) become the first female driver of an Auckland Cup winner and the training partnership produce the race trifecta (Vincent/Titan Banner/Heaven Rocks). This victory completed an unprecedented treble of wins for the stable in the New Zealand Cup, Interdominion Pacing Grand Final and Auckland Cup for the past two seasons. Mark Purdon recorded his fourth instance (three with Natalie Rasmussen and one with Grant Payne) of seven winners on a race day as a trainer at NZMTC Addington meeting of 16 March 2018. On Jewels Day 2018, six of the nine winners came from the Purdon/Rasmussen barn (two instances of five winners on a Jewels day).
Leading Trainers : MARK PURDON & NATALIE RASMUSSEN, 122 wins (367 starts), $4,463,338 UDR .4762, lifetime NZ wins for this partnership in only five seasons – 2014 – 2018 of 649 from 2,057 starts.
Record Breaking Stats :
In common with recent seasons, another round of sensational record breaking time performances were registered during 2017/18.
The seasons NZ records were :
Pacers –
2 Year Olds :
1700m mobile Kayla Marie (fillies) 2:01.2, Alexandra Park
2000m stand Kendra (fillies) 2:31.4, Phar Lap Raceway, Timaru
2200m mobile A Bettor Act (colt or gelding), 2:40.6, Ascot Park Raceway, Invercargill
3 Year Olds :
1700m mobile American Brave (colt or gelding) 2:00.3, Alexandra Park
1950m mobile Chase Auckland (colt or gelding) 2:16.1, Addington
2000m mobile Tennyson Bromac (colt or gelding) 2:23.9, Rangiora
2400m mobile The Dorchester (colt or gelding) 2:52.5, Ashburton (overall national record)
2400m Pembrooks Passion (colt or gelding) 2:58.3, Richmond Park, Nelson
2600m mobile Sheriff (colt or gelding) 3:05.4, Addington (overall national record)
2700m mobile Chase Auckland (colt or gelding) 3:16.8, Alexandra Park
3200m stand Diamonds N Cash (colt or gelding) 4:01.7, Waterlea Raceway, Blenheim
4 Year Old & Older :
1950m mobile Ultimate Machete (entire or gelding) 2:15.7, Addington (overall national record)
1950m mobile Queen Bee Bardon (mares) 2:19.0, Addington (equal national mares record)
2200m stand Northview Hustler (entire or gelding) 2:42.8, Alexandra Park (equal overall national record)
2200m stand Star Galleria (entire or gelding) 2:42.8, Alexandra Park (equal overall national record)
2200m mobile American Empress (mares) 2:37.1, Alexandra Park
2400m stand Lazarus (entire or gelding) 2:54.3, Kaikoura (overall national record)
2400m mobile Balius (entire or gelding) 2:54.1, Central Southland Raceway, Winton (equalled record)
2600m stand Heaven Rocks (entire or gelding) 3:10.1, Addington (overall national record)
2700m stand Vincent (entire or gelding) 3:19.7, Alexandra Park
Trotters –
2 Year Olds :
1700m mobile Tickle Me pink (filly), T2:07.2, Cambridge Raceway
1950m mobile Enhance Your Calm (colt or gelding), T2:24.9
2700m stand Full Noise (colt or gelding) T3:35.2, Ascot Park, Invercargill
3 Year Olds :
2200m mobile Monaro Mia (fillies), 2:45.6, Cambridge Raceway
2400m stand Honeys Son (colt or gelding), T3:03.6, Ashburton
4 Year Old & Older :
1950m mobile Great Things Happen (entire or gelding), 2:21.7, Addington (equals national record held by Monbet)
2200m stand Lemond (entire or gelding), T2:46.4 Alexandra Park
2400m stand Jen Jaccka (mare) T3:00.9, Central Southland Raceway, Winton (overall NZ national record)
2600m mobile Harriet Of Mot (mares), T3:12.0, Addington
Leading Sires/Broodmare Sires/Stake Earning Pacer and Trotter :
Bettors Delight was crowned leading sire for the seventh consecutive season. He took out many individual siring titles – overall, overall Pacing sire, all Pacing age group categories leading sire proving what a dominant broodmare siring force he will be in years to come, already ninth on latest seasonal list overall.
Deceased trotting stallion Sundon was beaten for the top trotting stallion prize for only the second time in the past eighteen seasons when Majestic Son topped both the stakes won and leading trotting stallion for winners produced. Sundon still figures in the five year old and older age group category as seen below.
Christian Cullen and Sundon continued their dominance in the broodmare sire categories.
Leading Sires –
Overall Combined Gaits – Stakes : BETTORS DELIGHT ($6,955,889)
Overall Combined Gaits – Winners : BETTORS DELIGHT (200 winners)
Pacers : Stakes/winners : BETTORS DELIGHT ($6,916,034, 198 winners)
Trotters : Stakes/winners : MAJESTIC SON ($1,378,311, 56 winners)
2yo Stakes : BETTORS DELIGHT ($927,731)
2yo Winners : BETTORS DELIGHT (18 winners)
2yo Trotters : Stakes/winners : MAJESTIC SON ($204,827, 5 winners)
3yo Stakes : BETTORS DELIGHT ($2,320,600)
3yo Winners : BETTORS DELIGHT (62 winners)
3yo Trotters : Stakes/winners : MAJESTIC SON ($793,316, 35 winners)
4yo Pacers : Stakes/winners : BETTORS DELIGHT ($1,959,765, 64 winners)
4yo Trotters : Stakes/winners : MUSCLE MASS ($484,881, 24 winners)
5yo & older Pacers : Stakes/winners : BETTORS DELIGHT ($1,707,938, 54 winners)
5yo & older Trotters : Stakes/winners : SUNDON ($991,173, 38 winners)
Leading Broodmare Sires –
Stakes : CHRISTIAN CULLEN ($3,922,587)
Winners : SUNDON (128 winners)
All 2yo Stakes/winners : CHRISTIAN CULLEN ($569,948, 10 winners)
All 3yo Stakes/winners : CHRISTIAN CULLEN ($1,521,287, 49 winners)
All 4yo Stakes/winners : CHRISTIAN CULLEN ($803,448, 36 winners)
All 5yo & older Stakes/winners : SUNDON ($1,467,241, 62 winners)
All Trotters Stakes/winners : SUNDON ($2,926,049, 128 winners)
Leading Stake Earners –
Pacer : LAZARUS ($495,185, NZ earnings only)
Trotter : SPEEDING SPUR ($180,450 NZ earnings only)
Grand Circuit Pacing Champion Australia/NZ : LAZARUS (304 points)
Grand Circuit Trotting Masters Australia/NZ : SPARKLING SUCCESS (160 points)
Peter Craig
6 August 2018
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
