by Duane Ranger
It’s taken just under five years but Glenbrook horseman Gary Noakes finally got his karma at Alexandra Park last Friday night.
The president of Franklin Kidz Kartz has helped introduce and then develop kids in harness racing for several years now, but Friday was “Noakes’s’ night.
Some of those children and families he’s taken time out for were on course to watch Noakes train and drive Izinthezone to her second career victory in the first event – the $8,000 Smith & Partners Maiden Up to R44 Trot.
The 36-year’s last driving success came 1,778 days ago when he steered Patienceofasaint to win at the same venue on August 17, 2012.
He’s now reined home nine career winners since 2001 – and boy did he enjoy Friday’s easy three-and-three quarter length victory.
“I’ve seen Adam White give the odd good salute down south and the adrenalin was pumping so I thought I might do the same. To be fair I got wrapped up in the emotion.
“It was a relief more than anything. It’s been a long time between drinks and going into the race I thought she could win because the field wasn’t that strong and she had recently been making up a lot of ground in her races,” Noakes said.
“I’m still buzzing because my wife Michelle (co-owner), our children (Holly & Hannah) and other family members were there too. Michelle can’t always make it because of commitments back home,” he added.
Izinthezone also provided Noakes with his first training success since June 28, 2013 and third since taking out his licence in 2011.
That was when Speak Up and Roydon Downey won a junior driver’s race at ‘The Park’ on June 28 2013. His other training success came via that Patienceofasaint 2012 win.
Up until five years ago Noakes was a dual-coded conditioner who also trained greyhounds, but gave that away to concentrate more on his family and his job as a farm manager at Karaka.
“I enjoyed the dogs and trained a few winners but they are very time consuming, whereas we train our horses at home on our own track and when it’s too wet we take them over to Pukekohe
“Izinthezone doesn’t take much work. She will just keep racing at ‘The Park’ throughout the winter,” Noakes said.
Noakes and his wife lease Izinthezone off her breeder, Elizabeth Steele from Cust. They negotiated through Steele’s relative and trainer, Kyle Cameron.
“I’d like to think Gary will keep her when the lease runs out and perhaps breed from her,” Steele said.
‘Noaksey’ said Izinthezone would be going nowhere if his niece Caitlin has her way.
“The mare has a few tricks but Caitlin absolutely loves her and gets on very well with her. I think we will probably end up keeping her as a riding hack rather than a broodmare,” said Noakes.
Izinthezone is a six-year-old Brylin Boyz – Psychedelic mare who has now won two of her 49 starts and placed in four others for $17,847. Noakes has had her since October.
Noakes is no stranger to media attention. In August 2012 he created New Zealand racing history when Patienceofasaint won for him at Alexandra Park, and then two days later he trained Bear Cub to win the sixth race at the Manukau Greyhound Racetrack.
He trained about 25 winners in the dog code.
Noakes started out in harness racing with Frank Cooney at Taupaki. The former Rosmini College student got his trials licence in 2000 and over the years has worked for top horseman like Mark Purdon, Todd Macfarlane, Tremain Thorby, James Stormont and Steven Reid.
Noakes, who is also a tidy Glenbrook cricketer and Pink Floyd fan, left the industry a couple of times, to work in the auto trade in Auckland. But now he’s happily based in Franklin.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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