Kevin and Carol Riseley do a lot of trans Tasman flying these days and many of the trips are pleasurable. The Riseleys have had wonderful success in their home country over the years but now they are fully involved in harness racing on this side of the ditch.
Supersonic Miss has been one of his bigger winners to date but Border Control has produced many thrills and is still the fastest 3yo in Australasia as well as Kept Under Wraps / Three Pints and he has purchased shares in several of the class of 2015.
They are all pacers but back home in Victoria Kevin is even better known for his great success as a breeder and racer of trotting horses.
Kevin, who started breeding in the 1980's and has a state of the art property near Shepparton of 50ha is naturally proud of what he and his family have achieved.
"We are the only breeders to produce four Breeders Crown winners and last year we were lucky enough to win the Breeder of the Year award in Victoria" Kevin noted during his latest trip to Addington where Supersonic Miss and Kept Under Wraps were competing.
He and Carol spent a week in Christchurch before flying home but will be back for the Jewels day on May 30.
Early on Kevin became best known through the deeds of National Interest a pacing bred trotter (by Torado Hanover) which won over $300,000.
National Interest was from Late Withdrawal a daughter of Bay Goola one of Kevin's first purchases.
He is still breeding from the family now into its fourth generation. He also stood stallions at Sheron Park which he established in 1985.
"Late Withdrawal was by our stallion Magnus Apollo and left Right Interest which won a Breeders Crown as well (as the NSW Trotting Derby and Oaks) as well as Magic Interest (Breeders Crown) and Astrud which was another topliner as well as others including Leavemein which is going well for us as a broodmare"
Kevin went into the harness game at full pitch.
He has raced horses successfully in the United States and imported several mares from there.
Among them was Panbroke a daughter of an American Horse of the Year and the dam of Tsaonga which was sold and went on to be Kevin's fourth Breeder's Crown winner as a breeder.
She also left Mister Gunson and Dougie both prolific winners.
There have been plenty of other good winners from other sources including Be My Side which won a Vicbred 4yo Final and 13 of just 22 starts bred from Spring Wiper.
In 2009 when he had around 30 broodmares, Kevin decided to cut back and offered 24 of them at auction.
These days he is down to about five broodmares but he has widespread interests in racing and breeding administration and is a busy man.
He was also a member of a syndicate with purchased several yearlings for Barry Purdon's stable on one of whom Cheer The Lady won the NZ Oaks and-yes you guessed it, a Breeder's Crown.
Mark recalled how Kevin -and his nephew Martin- came into Supersonic Miss.
"Kevin rang me at the airport after the Melbourne sale and asked what shares were available in the colts."
"I had to tell him that they were all gone and there was only one share available in Supersonic Miss which I had bought on spec because she appealed to me."
"He came in on that and was always in Border Control too"
Kevin was a highly successful businessman initially with several panel repair shops in Melbourne and then a tow truck operation and trucking parts.
"I have handed that over to my son now and he has extended it interstate so I have even more time for the horses."
Especially, it seems, horses who can win a Breeder's Crown-and now a Harness Jewels.
Courtesy of All Stars Racing Stables