By Jonny Turner
Husband and wife training duo David and Stacey White added to what has already been a huge year for them when scoring their first training success with Far From True at Rangiora on Sunday.
The trotting victory, which came with David in the sulky, came less than four months after the couple were married.
Far From True clinched the maiden win for the Whites’ training partnership by capping her consistent form with a gritty passing lane win.
“It sure is a good thrill to get that first one out of the way, she has been close a couple of times,” David said.
The victory was not only their first in partnership, but also the first for David and Stacey, individually.
Though it was their maiden win as trainers, the couple could hardly be ranked as newbies to training or racetrack success.
Stacey is well known through her current role as the sales, marketing and media manager at Woodlands Stud and her prior work at Harness Racing New Zealand.
She has enjoyed prior success as an owner and David has been a regular in the winner’s circle as a driver since moving to Canterbury from Australia in 2015.
David who also works as a farrier and a farm manager, paid tribute to his wife after Far From True’s win as she does most of the training with the horse.
“Stacey does most of the work with this one – she is her little pet,” David said.
“It is great that she can be rewarded with the horse going so well.”
Both Whites juggle training their small team with their fulltime jobs.
Those occupations mean the couple limit their team to small numbers.
“We juggle it between us, we make it work pretty well,” David said.
“We have got the horses at Spreydon Lodge now, it is just around the corner, so that is pretty handy for us.”
Far From True came to the White stable through David’s best man, Matthew Peden.
The Sydneysider purchased the trotter and sent it to the Whites for training.
The trio were initially to race to horse together, but when another horse in the stable had to be put aside some of its owners came in on Far From True.
“We had another little Bettor’s Delight filly and she hurt herself and got a bone chip after she was looking really promising.”
That has lead to a bumper group of nine happy owners celebrating the grey filly’s maiden win at Rangiora.
“Matthew was my best man at my wedding and we have been mates for ages and owned horses together for ten years, I suppose,” David said.
“They are a great group of owners, they love going to the races and having a beer and it is really enjoyable having people like them in the ownership.”
Far From True scored by a neck in a competitive finish over runner-up, Spy Da Moment, and third placed It Wasn’t Me.
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