By Duane Ranger
Have Faith In Me might be spelling in the green pastures of Invercargill right now, but Tim Williams looks to have a ready-made Group One winning drive to replace the Auckland Cup champion for the remainder of this season.
Williams’ drive behind Piccadilly Princess in Thursday’s fifth heat of the Nevele R Series for 3-year-old pacing fillies was a ‘pearler’.
He eased the brown daughter of Bettor’s Delight off the gate and then at the bell went from fifth to sit parked outside the pacemaker.
In the straight the smart filly simply left them to it stopping the clock in 1:55.1. She came home in 58.4 and 29.5.
The mobile mile (1,609m) boasted a nice stake of $20,000, but sadly has attracted just five starters.
The Group One $150,000 Final will be raced at Alexandra Park on April 29, but Williams is not taking that and future drives behind Piccadilly Princess for granted.
“I’m hoping I retain the drive behind her because she is just at the stage of her career where she is improving. She takes the next step up every time she walks out on to a racetrack.
“But it’s entirely up to Mark (Purdon) and Natalie (Rasmussen). Our stable is firing and they are very good at calling the shots. I only want what’s best for the team,” Williams said
Williams arrived back in Christchurch on Friday after spending almost a month with Purdon and Rasmussen’s team in Hamilton.
“That was a very nice win last night. The race panned out nicely for us because they went hard early and then she sat outside the pace very comfortably.
“Then at the top of the straight she just left them to it,” Williams said.
Williams has had 119 drives this season – won 19 of them, placed on 25 occasions and netted $462,152 in stakes.
Friday’s easy one-and-three-quarter length victory was Piccadilly Princess’s sixth win in 12 starts ($139,143).
Williams has driven five of those wins and junior Matt Anderson drove her on February 21 when she won at Methven the third heat in 1:59.3.
That day she beat her very good stablemate Golden Goddess by a head, and then a fortnight later at Alexandra Park downed her by half a length in the Group One $120,000 Northern Oaks.
Williams said he was still buzzing from that Group One victory and said he would love to stay on her considering Have Faith In Me is having 10 weeks off and will by-pass the Taylor Mile, the New Zealand Messenger, and the Harness Jewels Final.
“Dream About Me is still the top 3-year-old filly in the barn but this girl has come a long way very fast and is now at the big improvement stage. To think she only qualified last September and then I won behind her on debut on the grass at Motukarara that same month.
“Even though there’s not much between her and Golden Goddess I think we are still to see the best of her this season,” said Williams
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