By Duane Ranger
With seven meetings left at Alexandra Park in 2015-2016 Tony Herlihy (MNZM) looks sets to nail his eighth consecutive driving premiership at Northern Headquarters, but the training title he has won for the last three seasons is not so clear cut.
The Ardmore horseman is seven wins clear of Zac Butcher in the driving premiership, and is one behind Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen. He has the next six Fridays to overcome the All Stars tally of 35 wins.
“It’s very pleasing considering to win any Alexandra Park title. It’s my home track and my favourite track. I never really considered training racehorses until Mark (Purdon) went south just after the turn of the century. It wasn’t on the radar.
“I am where I am today because of good staff and a better standard of horse coming through the stable,” Herlihy said.
The 57-year-old nicknamed ‘The Iceman’ will be attempting to nail his 10th and 11th consecutive driving and training premierships at Alexandra Park come July 31.
He said he would love to win as many Alexandra Park premierships as possible, but believed national driving and training titles were unrealistic.
“The team isn’t big enough and now since I’ve been training I have had to concentrate more on conditioning horses than driving. But my goal has always been to train and drive as many winners as I can,” Herlihy said.
On February 25, 2011 at Alexandra Park Herlihy became the first driver in New Zealand to drive 3,000 winners.
Eight times New Zealand’s leading reinsman between 1984/85 and 2004/05, Herlihy has won just on 70 Group One races.
These days he doesn’t drive as much as he used to having taken out his training licence in 2001-2002. Since then he has trained 805 winners and just over $10 million in stakes. He also trained a further three between 1985 and 1987.
Herlihy has won three New Zealand Cups with Luxury Liner (1988), Christopher Vance (1991) and Chokin (1993).
His eight Auckland Cup winners came via Comedy Lad (1986), Luxury Liner (1987 and 1988), Christopher Vance (1991), Chokin (1993 and 1994) plus Sharp and Telford (1996) and Gotta Go Cullen (2008).
Australian victories included three Miracle Miles with Christopher Vance (1991) and Chokin (1993 and 1994). He also scored in the Victoria Derby in 2001 with Rare Gem and again in 2003 with the late Bella’s Boy, which he co-owned with John Seaton.
Herlihy is no stranger to creating records at Alexandra Park.
In October, 2001, Herlihy wrote himself again into the history books by driving seven of the 10 winners on the card, four of them from his own stable.
New Zealand’s most prolific winning reinsman of all time – who possesses nerves of steel and is so laid back he’s almost horizontal – started his career in the mid to late 1970s. His first win was in 1978 behind Gymea Gold at Cambridge. Since then has cracked 100 wins in a season 17 times.
He was also the 1985 World Driving champion.
As at June 14, The Herlihy had won 54 races ($707,752) in the sulky and was 10th on the national driving premiership. Last year Herlihy trained 66 wins ($847, 683) and finished seventh.
Training-wise he has won 47 races ($594,619) this seasonand is seventh on the national training premiership. Last season he won 67 races ($836,313) and finished fifth nationally.
All up Herlihy’s ‘Strike Won Stable’ has won 805 races and just on $10 million since 2001-2002. In the bike he has nailed 3,380 victories and $35.2 million since he first got in the bike back in 1978.
Incidentally his 1,000th winner came via Hilo Royce at Cambridge in 1991, while Classic Turbo in brought up his 2,000th in 1999 at Alexandra Park. Win 3,000 came via the Mark Purdon and Grant Payne trained Veste in a $25,000 Yong Guns 2yo Fillies heat.
Herlihy’s training and driving record during the past decade at Alexandra Park reads:
DRIVING – 2014-2015: 1st; 2013-2014: 1st; 2012-2013: 1st; 2011-2012: 1st; 2010-2011: 3rd; 2009-2010: 4th; 2008-2009: 1st; 2007-2008: 5th; 2006-2007: 3rd.
TRAINING – 2014-2015: 1st; 2013-2014: 1st; 2012-2013: 1st; 2011-2012: 3rd; 2010-2011: 1st; 2009-2010: 1st; 2008-2009: 1st; 2007-2008: 3rd; 2006-2007: 2nd.
The top 10 2016 Training and Driving Premierships at Alexandra Park (as at June 21) currently read:
TRAINING:
Starts Wins Seconds Thirds UDR
M Purdon & Ms N C Rasmussen 112 35 21 12 0.4524
A G Herlihy MNZM 175 34 14 32 0.2997
J W Dickie & J I Dickie 135 24 24 19 0.3235
B Purdon 164 24 32 27 0.3096
R J Dunn 166 20 22 22 0.2383
Ms M J Wallis & B P Hackett 196 19 17 21 0.1808
R W Green 131 14 20 14 0.2273
S G Telfer & C D Garlick 112 12 12 11 0.1994
S L McCaffrey & R O Paynter 61 11 10 9 0.3206
B M Mangos 61 7 11 3 0.2313.
DRIVING:
Starts Wins Seconds Thirds UDR
A G Herlihy MNZM 209 39 21 34 0.2967
Z E Butcher 223 32 40 31 0.2895
M W McKendry 204 28 30 21 0.2533
J I Dickie 142 27 22 17 0.3161
D J Butcher 176 18 22 23 0.2153
J R Dunn 108 17 11 14 0.2572
P A Butcher 142 16 13 13 0.1941
B M Mangos 131 16 18 12 0.2290
B N Orange 66 10 5 11 0.2492
S D T Phelan 137 10 19 14 0.1841.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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