What follows is a breakdown of major statistical records for the 2019/20 NZ season (1 August 2019 – 31 July 2020) excluding age group by gait winners and other categories that will be advised following 2019/20 NZ Harness Racing Awards to be held on Monday 14 September 2020.
Personnel Stats :
Drivers –
Although stranded on 1,999 wins going into the Covid 19 lockdown, Blair Orange (2,044 at seasons end) passed this milestone when racing resumed wining on Terror The Christian at Addington on 28 May 2020. He became just the seventh NZ driver to do so – Tony Herlihy (3534), Maurice McKendry (3274), Ricky May (2952), David Butcher (2434), Dexter Dunn (NZ – 2226) and Colin de Filippi (2030).
Orange continued on his winning way from the previous two seasons with another double century haul of victories (his third in consecutive seasons) totalling 219 victories (record 232), easily winning the title from NZ’s 2019 World Drivers Championship representative Matthew Williamson (87) and John Dunn (73). This was Blair Orange’s seventh successive year for breaking a century of wins. Both Blair (Rangiora 6 February 2020) and Matthew (Gore 8 February 2020) recorded five wins on a single day’s programme over Waitangi weekend during the latest season.
Orange again accumulated a considerable number of victories at Palmerston North’s Manawatu Raceway with his eighteen driving successes during the season all being for Canterbury trainer Michael House (thirty one winning drives in total). His UDR was a more than respectable .3144 from 1,116 drives.
Fourth on the premiership was Samantha Ottley with 68 wins (best ever season) followed by Tim Williams (59); with leading northern driver David (50) nosing out son Zachary Butcher (49).
Brent Mangos recorded his 1,500th winning drive with Vespa at Alexandra Park‘s mid-September 2019 meeting. Jay Abernethy brought up 500 winning drives on American Me at Cambridge (19 December 2019).
On a UDR basis of those with more than ten drives, Natalie Rasmussen with 30 wins from only 68 drives (0.6111), Mark Purdon, twenty nine wins (0.5375), Cameron Hart (0.3889), John Hay (0.3530), Megan Teaz (.3687) and amateur driver Sheryl Wigg with nine wins (0.5342) led the way.
In the junior ranks, a close fought battle saw John Morrison ultimately retain his juniors title 35 (16 in Southland) wins placing him seventeenth equal in the Drivers premiership. Very respectable performers came from place getters Dylan Ferguson (33), Ben Hope (30) and Sheree Tomlinson (29).
The NZ Young Drivers Championship was held at Addington Raceway on 24 July with Kerryn Tomlinson the new holder of the title. The Darren de Filippi Memorial Trot (25th anniversary) for Junior Drivers was this year won by leading junior driver John Morrison on Sods Law, one of thirty five winning drives for the season.
Sarah O’Reilly, a consistent performer throughout, won the Hanley Formula Australian Young Drivers Championship held in New Zealand (Manawatu Raceway and Alexandra Park) in mid-December 2019. The winner of two of the ten heats together with four second placings, Tomlinson held a twelve point margin over early leader New South Welshman Cameron Hart Nathan Dawson and defending champion NZ’s Sheree Tomlinson.
Sherl Wigg again made no race of the Amateur Drivers Premiership (nine wins) from sister Cheree and Sheldon Murtha, second equal on three wins and joint fourth place getters Neil Munro and Blair Wilmott (two wins).
Leading Driver : BLAIR ORANGE, 219 wins (1,116 starts), $2,445,987, UDR .3144, 2,044 lifetime NZ wins
Leading Junior Driver : JOHN MORRISON, 35 wins (590 starts), $355,884, UDR .1277
Leading Amateur Driver : SHERYL WIGG, 9 wins (26 starts), $47,978, UDR .5342
Trainers –
The Trainers Premiership was won for the first time by Robert Dunn (operating two stables – Pukekohe, Woodend Beach : son John). With a lead of ten over the powerful All Stars stable of Mark Purdon/Natalie Rasmussen leading into the Covid 19 lockdown and with the All Stars not having many further starters prior to season end, Robert Dunn’s total of 95 training victories gave him a winning margin of fourteen. This took Dunn’s career tally as a trainer to 1,573.
Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen produced an incredible seven winners from starters in eight of the ten race Interdominion Grand Final meeting at Alexandra Park on Saturday 14 December 2019.
Michael House courtesy of 31 victories at Manawatu meetings throughout the season finished in third place with 65 victories. This included training six winners (from nine races) at Manawatu’s 10 December 2019 meeting. Cran Dalgety and Nathan Purdon in their first season training partnership together rounded out the top four for South Island based trainers with 51 victories.
Leading northern trainer was Steve Telfer (51; personal best) finishing fourth equal overall with Barry Purdon seventh (45) and brother in law Tony Herlihy tenth (33). Leading Southland trainer was Nathan Williamson (30) followed by Kristen Barclay and Tank Ellis next with 28 victories.
During the latest season Barry Purdon passed through the 2,500 NZ training wins mark on Canterbury Show Day when Wainui Creek won the NZSS Southern Mares Classic. Barry’s training wins on his own total 940; in partnership with father Roy 1,463 and a further 122 with Scott Phelan. Robert Dunn brought up his 1,500th training win when producing a winning trifecta in the PGG Wrightson NZYSS Aged Classic on Kaikoura Cup day. Michael House made it training win number 500 in mid-July (16 July) at Invercargill.
NZ Cup Day saw Mark Purdon move ahead of Ces Devine and James (Scotty) Bryce as the leading trainer with his seventh NZ Cup winner (Il Vicolo twice, Adore Me, Lazarus twice, The Fixer, Cruz Bromac), with Natalie Rasmussen (co trainer of five) attaining a record of winning five of the past six NZ Cups. On ID Grand Final night at Alexandra Park, the All Stars team produced an incredible seven winners from starters in eight of the ten race programme, winning all the feature races except Alabar 3yo Classic.
Leading Trainer : ROBERT DUNN, 95 wins (547 starts), $1,356,697 UDR .3016, lifetime NZ wins 1,573 from 10,607 starts
Record Breaking Stats :
Unlike previous seasons, with many age group features impacted by the temporary cessation of racing brought about by COVID 19, whilst some sensational record breaking time performances were registered, overall their numbers were fewer during 2019/20 season.
The seasons NZ records were :
Pacers –
2 Year Olds :
2200m mobile Ariella (fillies) 2:41.5 Ascot Park Raceway
3 Year Olds :
1609 (1 mile) stand Scared Stiff (colts & geldings) 1:59.2 Richmond Park
2700m mobile Amazing Dream (fillies/overall) 3:16.2 Alexandra Park
4 Year Old & Older :
2200m mobile Ultimate Sniper (horses & geldings/overall) 2:35.4 Alexandra Park
2700 stand Triple Eight (horses & geldings/overall) 3:17.2 Alexandra Park
Trotters –
2 Year Olds :
2600m stand Franco Jorik (colts & geldings) T3:25.7 Addington
3 Year Olds :
1980m mobile Cracker Hill (colts & geldings) T2:27.2 Addington
1980m mobile Chloe Rose (fillies) T2:27.3 Addington
2000m stand One Majic Kenny (colts & geldings) T2:35.6 Addington
2200m mobile Tailored Elegance (fillies) T2:44.2 Ascot Park, Invercargill
4 Year Old & Older :
1609m (1 mile) stand Sunny Glenis (mares/overall) T2:02.1 Alexandra Park
1609m (1 mile) mobile Marcoola (horses & geldings/overall) T1:53.8 Ashburton
1980m mobile Tough Monarch (horses & geldings/overall) T2:24.8 Addington
1980m mobile Splash Cola (mares) T2:25.1 Addington
2200m mobile Paramount King (horses & geldings/overall) T2:40.4 Alexandra Park
2400m stand Oscar Bpnavena (horses & geldings/overall) T2:59.8 Ashburton
2400m mobile Superfast Pat (horses & geldings/overall) T2:56.6, Central Southland Raceway
2700m mobile Winterfell (horses & geldings) T3:20.5 Alexandra Park
2700m stand Pretty Majestic (mares) T3:23.9 Alexandra Park
Leading Sires/Broodmare Sires/Stake Earning Pacer and Trotter :
Bettors Delight was crowned leading sire for the ninth consecutive season. He again took out all individual pacing siring titles as well as overall leading sire and proving what a dominant broodmare siring force he will be already placing second on latest seasonal list overall (leading two year old broodmare sire).
For the third season running Majestic Son topped both the stakes won and leading trotting stallion for winners produced. Majestic Son led four year old and five year old and older age group categories while in the two year old trotting section Love You topped the list while Muscle Hill was the three year old trotting age group stake sire with Majestic Son leader on races won.
Christian Cullen and Sundon continued their dominance in the broodmare sire categories.
Leading Sires –
Overall Combined Gaits – Stakes : BETTORS DELIGHT ($5,582,714)
Overall Combined Gaits – Winners : BETTORS DELIGHT (189 winners)
Pacers : Stakes/Winners : BETTORS DELIGHT ($5,569,954, 189 winners)
Trotters : Stakes/Winners : MAJESTIC SON ($1,574,280, 74 winners)
2yo Stakes/Winners : BETTORS DELIGHT ($266,156, 12 winners)
2yo Trotters : Stakes/Winners : LOVE YOU ($32,360, 5 winners)
3yo Stakes/Winners : BETTORS DELIGHT ($2,061, 284, 68 winners)
3yo Trotters : Stakes/Winners : MUSCLE HILL ($243,020; Majestic Son 12 winners)
4yo Stakes/Winners : BETTORS DELIGHT ($1,787,439, 56 winners)
4yo Trotters : Stakes/Winners : MAJESTIC SON ($553,890, 33 winners)
5yo & older : Stakes/Winners : BETTORS DELIGHT ($1,467,836, 53 winners)
5yo & older Trotters : Stakes/Winners : MAJESTIC SON ($858,808, 28 winners)
Leading Broodmare Sires –
Stakes : CHRISTIAN CULLEN ($3,035,559)
Winners : CHRISTIAN CULLEN (118 winners)
All 2yo Stakes/Winners : BETTORS DELIGHT ($179,490, Bettors Delight 7 winners)
All 3yo Stakes/Winners : CHRISTIAN CULLEN ($1,089,978, 42 winners)
All 4yo Stakes/Winners : CHRISTIAN CULLEN ($1,023,174, 36 winners)
All 5yo & older Stakes/Winners : SUNDON ($1,638,183, 70 winners)
All Trotters Stakes/Winners : SUNDON ($2,196,496, 113 winners)
Leading Stake Earners –
Pacer : CRUZ BROMAC ($470,160)
Trotter : HABIBI INTA ($199,938)
Grand Circuit Pacing Champion Australia/NZ : KING OF SWING (200 points)
Grand Circuit Trotting Masters Australia/NZ : TORNADO VALLEY (160 points)
Peter Craig
3 August 2020
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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