By Duane Ranger
Morrinsville trainer come lawyer, Dave Iremonger, heads into Friday’s last meeting of the season at Alexandra Park having already achieved his personal goals in 2016-2017.
“I’d rate my season a 10 out of 10. My goal at the start of the season was to get to 10 wins and Opawa Speed did that for me last week. To win five of those races at Alexandra Park has exceeded my expectations. I’m delighted with what we have achieved,” Iremonger said.
Iremonger, who is a property lawyer, used to travel from his Morrinsville base throughout Waikato and Bay Of Plenty seeing to his clients. These days he admits the job is more mobile.
“I have 10 racehorses in work and some young ones coming through. I do them all myself when Scott (son) can’t help out. It’s a busy lifestyle but I can do a lot of my work from home these days and only see my clients when I have to,” the former policeman said.
The 50-year-old’s 10 wins in 2016-2017 have come via Opawa Speed (Rob Argue) at Alexandra Park on July 21; Richard Le Fort (Dylan Ferguson) at Alexandra Park on June 30; Richard Le Fort (Dylan Ferguson) at Alexandra Park on June 23; Richard Le Fort (Dylan Ferguson) at Alexandra Park on June 2; Speedy Earl (Trent Lethaby) at Hawera on April 17; Opawa Speed (Todd Mitchell) at Stratford on March 5; Desert Storm (Todd Mitchell) at Cambridge Raceway on January 15; Opawa Speed (Todd Mitchell) at Cambridge Raceway on December 28; Desert Storm (Kyle Marshall) at Manawatu Raceway on December 15; and Soul man (Rob Argue) at Alexandra Park on September 16.
His previous best, of six wins, was recorded last season.
Iremonger has trained 22 winners since 2008 and 13 more between 1992 and 2000. His career stake currently earnings sit at $253,778.
He said he would like to finish the season on a high at Alexandra Park again this week with Opawa Speed and Rob Argue looking to repeat their dose of seven days ago in race five; and then Genociate and Dylan Ferguson in the last of the nine races.
“They are both good chances if they can get a sit and one crack at them. That’s exactly what Opawa Speed did last week. Robert drove him perfectly.
“He got the sit and ran away from them to win by more than six lengths. He was an eight-win horse dropping back in class and no way deserved to be paying $21 in that field. I thought he would go close,” Iremonger said.
“He’s back in this week only because he feels well and has come through his last race very well. I knew when he had a sit last week he would be very hard to beat. He’s not out of it again this week off the front,” Iremonger said.
Iremonger has come of age as a trainer this season. He was once the man renowned for winning with other
people’s discards, and selling the odd standardbred to Tahiti.
But Iremonger wasn’t born into harness racing.
“My family always had horses and I rode the pony club circuit when I was a kid. Growing up I wanted to be a jockey but I’m six foot tall and 90 odd kg so that was never gonna happen was it?”
“My parents were friendly with Pat Parker from Tirau who had standardbreds and that’s where my harness racing connection started.
“Pat bred and raced a pacer named Smokey Grattan and I took to following him,” he said.
Iremonger bought his first standardbred at a Terry Yule mixed aged sale at Claudelands in the late eighties and it all snow-balled from there.
“I love the game but with my other job I think I will always have about 10 in work. Otherwise the workload just becomes a bit heavy,” Iremonger said.
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