NZ HARNESS NEWS
First New Zealand winners for the stallions Superfast Stuart and If I Can Dream were recorded at the Timaru meeting at Phar Lap Raceway on Wednesday.
Superfast Maggie, a three-year-old filly, proved too strong in the maiden trot for trainer Henriette Westrum and driver Jamie Keast.
Westrum, a native of Norway, took over the training of Superfast Maggie as a juvenile last season when offered the horse by her previous conditioner Alan Clark.
“She’s been a bit of a project for me, actually; she’s my baby.
“The reason I got her was I was desperate for a trotter – I love trotters -but it was proving hard to find a good prospect within my budget so I had to take whatever I could get.
“I contacted Alan Clark to ask him if I could lease her as I think he wanted to finish with her, and he ended up selling her really cheaply.”
After a couple of starts with Westrum as a two-year-old where she didn’t show much, a good spell was ordered.
“I then brought her up really slowly; I do a bit of body work on horses and she has had quite a bit of that,” said Westrum.
That being said, Superfast Maggie was not expected to amount to anything great until the last few weeks.
“She seemed like a pretty mediocre horse up until recently.
“But I took her to Methven and gave her two heats on the same day and it seems to have helped.
“I figured she didn’t have much speed, so if she trotted the whole way and was strong and fit, we might still have a bit of fun with her.
“But she’s come out today and really surprised me, showing more speed that I thought she had.”
Westrum is a trained blacksmith who spent a lot of time in America working in stables, including that of former Kiwi Brett Pelling who was, at one stage, the biggest trainer in North America.
“I worked for some Norwegian trainers along the way, but spent my last couple of years there with Brett Pelling and Nifty Norman.”
After a brief trip home to Norway, Westrum decided to try the more laid-back harness racing industry in New Zealand.
“I did shift home to Norway but that was really busy and it was driving me nuts, so I decided to go to New Zealand.”
She has settled down with Keast and they have a two-year-old child together, and she wouldn’t change it for anything.
“I like the lifestyle, I love the country and the people.”
Superfast Stuart is a Canadian-bred son of Kadabra, who was imported to New Zealand by Methven’s Mike Heenan, of Trouble Lodge, in 2013.
He just completed his fifth breeding season, the biggest book being the 54 mares (35 live foals) he procured in 2013.
It has been a modest start for Superfast Stuart, who has had just the four qualifiers from 35 live foals in his first crop
A few races later, The Dream Maker delivered as a hot favourite in the hands of trainer Gerard O’Reilly, giving her sire, If I Can Dream, his first winning credit here.
The son of Western Hanover, a full brother to Western Terror, stood one season here, at Johnathan McNeil’s Barra Equine in 2012, serving just 10 mares for seven live foals.
He also had two foals in Australia that season, one of which has been a winner.
The Dream Maker was a brilliant second on debut at Motukarara last in 2017, but was then beaten as a short-priced favourite at Oamaru last week.
The mare had been the subject of a healthy offer from American interests, according to O’Reilly.
- NZ Harness News
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
