Southland celebrated another very good harness racing season last night with Southern Harness supporters celebrating the achievements of 2017-18 at Ascot Park Hotel. The big awards for the season went to Kenny Baynes, Duke Of Wellington and Joyfuljoy.
Chatton farmer and horseman Kenny Baynes won the Achievement of the Year Award on the back of a stellar season as an owner. Kenny races horses in partnership with his wife Jo as well as Penny his sister-in-law under Baynes Racing Limited.
Horses he owned won twenty one races, of which seventeen were trained in Southland.
Three of his horses qualified for the Harness Jewels at Cambridge with young trotter Full Noise running second in the 2 year old Ruby.
Baynes is also President of the Gore Harness Racing Club and a generous sponsor of harness racing in the province.
It was a good night for Baynes, Full Noise won the Two Year Old of the Year – the first time a trotter has taken out this category.
The Southland Horse of the Year this year sponsored by Elite Racing Products, was won by quality three year old Duke Of Wellington. He was also named Southland Three Year Old Colt or Gelding of the Year.
The strapping American Ideal gelding was bred by local lawyer Lester Smith who owned him up until he end of the season, when he was bought by Merv and Meg Butterworth.
He faced the starter ten times for five wins and four placings, earning stakes of $54,280.
He then capped off his season with a good win in the Group Two Alabar Southern Supremacy Stakes over 2700 metres.
Duke Of Wellington was trained by Lauren Pearson at Winton and he proved his versality by recording a 1.53.6 mile at Wairio in March.
Road Machine mare Joyfulbelle won the prestigious Southland Broodmare of the Year. She’s owned by the Miracle Lodge Syndicate which consists of Eric Parr and Clark Barron.
As a broodmare Joyfulbelle has produced eight named foals. These include; Joyfuljoy (11 NZ wins and 1-51.6 USA), Jumpforjoy (7 wins), Fullofjoy (1 win), Pride N Joy (Qualified 1-59.5), Bettor Joy (10 wins), and Somejoy (6 wins).
Pride N Joy is the dam of two winners this season; Gift Of Joy, and this year’s Group One winner in Australia Majorpride.
Joyfulbelle's latest two foals are Vergeofgreatness (a Washington VC 3 year old colt) and Alexjoy (an Art Major two year old filly). Her breeding legacy now extends into her daughters who are also leaving quality race horses.
Other awards:
Contribution Awards
Jason Broad
Jason has held the position as Secretary of many different harness associations over the years, and include the Trainer & Drivers Association, Southland Standardbred Breeders, Caduceus Club, S.T.O.T.B, Invercargill Workouts, and NZ Racing Managers.
He has also been raceday secretary for the Omakau Trotting Club since 2002 and the Nelson Trotting Club since 2006. He's currently a trustee of Kids Kartz, which he helped set up 2009.
Jason was appointed General Manager of Southern Harness in 2016.
Ross Wilson
Ross has been instrumental in helping junior drivers to get on the map. Dexter Dunn drove the five Wilson winners in 2010, Adam Sanderson 12 wins, Craig Ferguson 19 as a junior and 11 since becoming an open driver and many others have had wins for the stable.
Outside training, Ross has been on the Gore Harness Racing Club for many years and the Gore Workouts Committee. Ross has held a icence to train since 1980.
Graeme Robertson QSM
Graeme has made an extraordinary contribution to the Riverton Trotting Club, being elected to the Committee in 1961 and serving concurrently for the next fifty seven years.
He served as Vice-President between 1972 and 1974 and was Club President 1974-1977.
Since 1978 he’s been the Treasurer of the Club – forty years! He clearly remembers 1978 as the year the club was granted its first totalizator licence.
Graham was made a life member in 2002.
He’s seen the club develop from a small on-course only club that raced on a Thursday to a fully licenced trotting club that punches above its weight.
Graeme was awarded the QSM for his Services to Sport in 2017.
Southern Standardbred Breeders Trophies (leading stake earners 2017-2018)
- Two Year Old Filly: Rise Above This – Owner: Lester Smith – Trainer: Lauren Pearson.
- Three Year Old Filly: Betterthanbrie – Owner: Murray Little – Trainer: Paul Ellis.
- Aged Mare: Somejoy – Owner: Miracle Lodge Syndicate – Trainer: Clark Barron.
1-58.0 Pins
- Betterthanbrie – Murray Little – Wyndham 17.03/2018 1-56.2.
- Debnita Rose – Paul Hailes, Jonny Turner and Carl McIntyre – Oamaru 24/09/2017 1-57.4.
- Franco Tai – Robert and Sharon Symon – NZ Metro 20/10/2017 1-57.0.
- Havtime – Murray Little and Malcolm and Sarndra Little – Auckland 11/05/2018 1-58.0.
- Mach's Back – Murray Little – Winton 14/04/2018 1-57.3.
- Mighty Conqueror – Mark Shirley and Malcolm Dewe – Winton 14/04/2018 1-57.7.
- Patanjali – Robert and Sharon Symon – Forbury Park 05/04/2018 1-58.0
- Raksbet – Brendan Fahy – Ashburton 25/02/2018 1-55.1 and Wyndham 18/01/2018 1-56.5
Group Certificates
- Bettor Joy – Breeder – Miracle Lodge Syndicate (Group Two Ladyship Stakes)
- Duke Of Wellington – Breeder – Lester Smith (Group Two Alabar Southern Supremacy Stakes)
- Pat's Delight – Breeder – Charlton Park Enterprises (Pat Kubala) (Group One Three Year Old Emerald and Group Two Summer Cup).
New Zealand Records
- Jen Jaccka – Charlie and Alisa Smaill – 2400 metre stand (trotting mares) 28/09/2017 – Winton – 3-00.9.
- Full Noise – Baynes Racing Limited 2700 metre stand (two year old trotting colts and geldings) 07/05/2018 -Ascot Park –3-35.2.
Southern Standardbred Breeders Fastest Mile Rate – Filly or mare 2017-2018
- Somejoy 1-53.2 Wairio Trotting Club at Winton 24th March 2018 – Owner: Miracle Lodge Syndicate – Trainer: Clark Barron.
Southland Harness Awards – Two Year Old Colt or Gelding of the Year
- Full Noise – Owner: Baynes Racing Limited – Trainer: Brett Gray.
Robin Dundee Club – Three Year Olds Of The Year
- I'mallaboutthebase (filly) -Owners: Steve and Carol Baucke – Trainer: Steve Baucke.
- Duke of Wellington (colt/gelding) – Owner: Lester Smith – Trainer: Lauren Pearson.
Caduceus Club of Southland Trotter of the Year
Grace O'Malley – Owner: Go Ziggy Go Limited – Trainer: Curly Thomas
Southland Trainers and Drivers Association 2018 Awards
- Trainer of the Year: Brett Gray (34)
- Driver of the Year: Nathan Williamson (42)
- Junior Driver of the Year: Sheree Tomlinson (30)
- Trotting Driver of the Year: Brent Barclay (12)
Southland Harness Racing Award of Excellence
- Sheree Tomlinson – First woman driver to win the time honoured Dominion Handicap Trot
- Pat's Delight – Winner of the Group One Three Year Old Emerald.
- Havtime – Winner of the $146,250 Listed New Zealand Yearling Sales Fillies Final
It's Ella was also honoured on the night. The Washington VC mare won sixteen races including the Group Two Caduceus Club Mares Championship in 2007 and 2008 as well as the 2007 Group One PGG Wrightson New Zealand Breeders Stakes.
Another excellent season for Harness Racing in Southland. Congratulations to all winners and to those who were nominated. We look forward to another successful season where Southland breeders, trainers and drivers put their names on the harness racing map.
Bruce Stewart
Southland Harness Racing