By Jonny Turner
Brent Barclay ticked off one milestone before quickly going to work on another at Winton on Thursday.
The reinsman drove his 900th winner in New Zealand when Jaccka Evan strode to victory in race 4, the Ryal Bush Transport Mobile Pace.
Barclay then notched wins 901 and 902 when scoring later in the Winton programme with Bring On The Muscle and Ultimate Challenge.
Reaching 900 wins was the latest in a long list of accomplishments for the reinsman who has established himself as one of Southland’s most successful drivers.
After winning all of the southern region’s feature races, many several times over, one of the Barclay’s first big race wins in 1995 stands out as a career highlight.
“Probably the Welcome Stakes with Corumba when I was with Noel Creighton.”
“He was actually just a freak, I think he was a lot better horse than people gave him credit for.”
“I was young and foolish and he was just full of running, I played the game with him but we never saw the best of him.”
Barclay was thrilled to reach 900 wins on a horse trained by Brett Gray.
Gray has provided the driver with more victories than any other trainer, with Jaccka Evan’s the pair’s 149thwin together.
“Since I came back from Australia in 2014 I think it was, Brett said I want you to drive the horses,” Barclay said.
“We have been there ever since and he’s a great supporter of mine.”
Wayne Adams (83), Roger and Katrina Price (32) Murray Brown (26) and Noel Creighton (20) also feature at the top of Barclay’s winning trainers list.
The southern horseman has also combined with his partner Lauren Pearson to produce 53 victories.
Barclay has a career total of 939 wins, with 37 victories in Australia.
Joining an elite group of reinsman to win 1000 races in New Zealand looks the next logical target for the driver to reach
Barclay insists it is a feat that is a little way off, if he does make it, however his driving at Winton tells a different tale.
“100 doesn’t sound like a long way, but I’m on the way out not on the way in.”
“If Brett is still training a lot of horses I might have a shot at it.”
Barclay couldn’t have scripted a better return to racing for promising three-year-old Bring On The Muscle in the Goodman Plumbing Ltd Handicap Trot.
The trotter made a brilliant beginning before the pair found a perfect run in the trail to set up an easy first up win for trainer Clark Barron.
Barclay then gave the Amber Hoffman trained Ultimate Challenge the same economical run as the pacer went on to bring up a winning treble for the reinsman.
To see Jonny Turner’s interview with Brent Barclay click here
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