By Duane Ranger
Former All White player and coach Ricki Herbert could be seen driving standardbreds around Cambridge Raceway early next year.
The 55-year-old says he can think of nothing better to do in his spare time, and would love to get more involved in harness racing when he returns to live in the Waikato at the start of the 2017 school year.
“I remember those early morning training sessions. Those were the days. It brought me closer to Dad and what he did,” India-based Herbert said.
Herbert’s father Clive trained more than 150 winners and won almost $1 million in stakes. He trained 1993 Rowe Cup champion for a time as well as open class pacer Metal Mickey.
“Harness racing is in my blood and I got the same thrill and satisfaction preparing a football team to victory as what I did winning with a pacer or trotter,” Herbert said.
“Sport and horse racing follow similar preparation regimes and the emotion and pleasure when they both win is very similar,” he added.
Herbert, who has driven three place-getters from 18 starters between 1990 and 1994, will in January take up position as the Director of Football at St Peter’s, Cambridge – a private school with a roll of just over 1,000 students.
“It will be an extensive and demanding role and I’ve also taken up a Technical Advisory role with the Cambridge Football Club on a part-time basis.
“But there’s nothing I’d love to do more than jog a horse early in the morning or after work. I am so pleased to be moving to a rich racing area like Cambridge.
“Even if I don’t get to jog one I will be an avid spectator. In fact I still keep a close eye on the sport. I’ll still probably go down in the mornings and watch them train,” Herbert said.
“It’s just something I love to do,” he added.
He said he knew Cambridge reinsman Peter Ferguson quite well and believed that he could possibly get him involved more.
“I was actually at a Cambridge meeting five or six weeks ago with my father and son (Kale). T’s something I’m definitely going to do more when I come back home,” Herbert said.
Herbert will rent a home in Cambridge and still keep his home in Paraparaumu.
He said the reason he was coming to Cambridge was because of St Peter’s Principal, Dale Burden.
“I was so impressed with Dale’s vision for football at the school. I had no hesitation signing,” Herbert said.
He said Redcliffe Pass was his favourite horse that his father trained.
“David Moss and Metal Mickey were champions but Dad did all the work when he had them. I might have done jog work if I was lucky but I had a more hands-on association with Redcliffe Pass, Franco Gold, Captain Ricki and Vance Lustre.
“Redcliffe Pass was a special horse to me because we got him off Derek Jones as a C2 and then progressed him through to C9. He was close to my heart and it was a very sad day when we he broke down and we had to put him down.
“That day showed me the human side to racing and how tough it could be,” Herbert said.
Herbert paid a tribute to his father Clive and what he taught him but said he also learnt a lot from his legendary neighbour at Clevedon, Roy Purdon.
“We worked horses at Mike Barry’s property next to Roy’s place and other icons of the sport like Mark Purdon and Tony Herlihy also worked there. I got to know them very well and they all taught me a lot. They were more than neighbours,” Herbert said.
But no matter what Herbert achieves in harness racing he will always be remembered as the coach of the New Zealand All Whites soccer team that went through the 2010 World Cup unbeaten with draws against Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay.
“I’ve had some great moments in the sport. I represented my country as an 18-year-old in the 1982 World Cup but beating Bahrain to qualify this year was arguably the greatest moment in my life. It had taken 28 years to get a New Zealand team back to the World Cup and as a coach it was an extremely proud moment.”
For the record, Herbert played 61 times for New Zealand from 1980 to1989. He played for Southampton and 49 times for the club he supports – Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Since The World Cup he has coached the Wellington Phoenix (2007-2013); North East United (2014-2015) Papua New Guinea U23 (2015); the Maldives national team (2015-2016).
He is currently the ‘Star Sports’ TV front-man and journalist for the India Super Football League.
“Again it’s something different to coaching football and something I am really enjoying. We are up to round 7 at the moment and the grand Final is on December 18.
“Then it’s back home for Christmas and then my new life at Cambridge. One I am very much looking forward to,” Herbert said.
A man who has often achieved his goals, Herbert said he would one day love to win his first race in the sulky and then get involved in a New Zealand Cup winner.
“That’s the goal. But then again isn’t winning the great cup is everyone in harness racing’s dream isn’t it?” he questioned.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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