By Tayler Strong
Nathan Williamson is targeting 100 driving wins for the season and he has the help of his family at Forbury Park on Thursday night.
Nathan has a personal best 86 wins for the season after landing four winners at Forbury Park last Thursday and another at Rangiora on Sunday. He has five more meetings at the Dunedin raceway before the season is finished.
His brothers, Matthew and Brad have stepped aside to give him the drives on Brad’s Kenny(trained by father Phil Williamson) and Bettordean (from the Knight stable) on Thursday night.
Nathan has a powerful representation from his own stable with Gangnam Style, Sun’s Invasion, Hurricane Banner and Kiwi Focus.
Hurricane Banner was among his four winners last week. Kiwi Focus won twice at Forbury Park last winter.
Bettordean looks the one to beat in the the heat of the Stunin Cullen Spring series after a win and two placings in earlier heats. He is drawn to adopt his usual role as pacemaker.
Brads Kenny is a talented trotter resuming from a 17 month break.
“He had an issue after his last race when he finished second and we found a bone chip on a knee and had it removed. There was damage around the knee and he had a long recovery,’’ said Phil.
“ It is a bit of an ask fresh up but he has done a lot of work and has the ability.”
Brads Kenny won his first start by eight and three quarter lengths at Gore in December, 2014 and placed in two of three further starts.
Springbank Sam, the winner of 20 races and $319,000 in stakes from the Williamson stable, left for the United States on Wednesday after being sold by Alistair and Denise Smith.
The 8yr-old numbered the group three Southern Lights at Ascot Park (in 2014 and 15) and the main free-for-all at Omakau in January three times among his wins. He ran a NZ record time of 3.12.8 for the 2600m (mobile) there in January.
Danielle Amore, an impressive winner at her last start for the stable, has recovered from a serious stomach complaint. She returned to the Williamson property on Monday after a four days at a Mosgiel veterinary clinic.
Nathan has also picked up the drive on Elusive Flight in the claiming race. Elusive Flight ran second to Superior Desire in the claimer on June 9. He has had two wins in smart times and four placings in six starts since joining the stable of Graeme Anderson.
Anderson also has Arden’s Concord, Highview Illusion and Expresso Martini engaged on Thursday night.
“They will all be competitive without being certainties,’’ said Anderson.
He is shading Phil Williamson is the winter festival of trotting competition for a ton of Pryde’s easifeed. Arden’s Concord, with Dexter Dunn in the sulky, rates highly in race 9.
Arden’s Concord ran a big race for second to Mr Meddle at Forbury Park on June 9 after starting from barrier eight. He has drawn four on Thursday.
Highview Illusion is in contention for a heat of the sprint series. He resumed from a a five month break when fifth at Forbury Park on June 2. He won a double on the track last winter with Dunn the driver.
Anderson is no longer involved with the administration of the club.
The president Gerald Cayford said Anderson had been expelled from the committee under the constitution for not attending meetings. Anderson was also on the board of control of the club.
“I just walked away. I had just had enough. I had attended meetings all over the place for the board of control and was not getting anywhere,’’ said Anderson.
Rodney Moore is the new general manager of the club. Moore, chief executive of Wellington Cricket for 10 years and more recently employed by the University of Otago, succeeds John Ayoub, who resigned in April. Ayoub held the position for just under two years.
Moore is the fourth gm of the club in five and a half years. The club is taking over the bar and bistro on the course from Monday. The facility was previously leased out.
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