Trainer has a quest to find the next Maori’s Idol

In his younger days Tamborine harness racing trainer Richard Hutchinson always dreamed of racing a standardbred like champion Maori’s Idol.

It has taken him a long while to even get trotters in his barn with Hutchinson only preparing three across his career – including two in his watch currently.

While Spiders Devil and Kingdom Come are not of the quality of Maori’s Idol – considered one of Australia’s greatest ever trotters – they are providing Hutchinson with his ambitions of training a few trotters on top of his team of pacers.

The history books show that Maori’s Idol was a legend of the sport, winning 40 races from 46 starts, including 24 on the bounce at one stage.

The Hutchinson duo, Spiders Devil and Kingdom Come, both head towards the Darrell Alexander Trotting Championship heats on Saturday evening at Albion Park ahead of the Group 1 Final later this month.

“The best horse I have ever seen in my life and the most beautiful horse I have ever seen was Maori’s Idol,” Hutchinson said.

“Subconsciously I have always thought that I would love to have a trotter one day, it has taken a long time for that to happen, because Maori’s Idol raced back in the 1970s.

“But I finally got there.”

Hutchinson is a respected breeder and former stud master who stood successful sires such as Jaguar Spur and Jeremy Laurence.

While he has only ever had the three trotters in his stable, Hutchinson is dreaming of landing a Group 1 starter on July 17 in the $50,900 Final over 2647 metres.

“I do not have a real affiliation with the trotters, this is only the third one I have got now but I enjoy doing it,” he said.

“It is something different and when a horse is trotting at full speed, rather than pacing, it is a funny feeling. It is a good feeling.

“A pacer feels great too because it is a lot smoother but a trotter, it is an unbelievable feeling because in your subconsciousness, that this should not be its natural gate because it should have galloped by now.

“They trot as quick as you can gallop and it is incredible that the breeding over the years has done that.”

Of his two runners, Hutchinson believes Kingdom Come, an 11-year-old winner of 10 career races, is his best hope on Saturday evening.

The Monarchy gelding, who has been with Hutchinson for around six months, last tasted success in the second month of 2021 and will be driven by Lachie Manzelmann this week, as he was at his last victory.

On that occasion, Kingdom Come flew down the outside of the field to come from last on the turn to score at the massive quote of $81 with the TAB.

“He is a chance in everything but he is a one trick pony, he is a sit and sprint horse,” Hutchinson said of Kingdom Come.

“If it works out that he is close enough to them at the end and he can get by them, he is a chance.

“He is a really nice horse but to get the best out of him, you just have to hold him up for one go at it.

“He is capable of beating them on Saturday night but he just has to have the race run the right way for him.

“I was not really after another trotter, I only had one before him but I received a phone call from the people who had the horse and they thought he would suit the way I train.

“I am very glad they rang me because he has been good to me.”

Stablemate Spiders Devil, who will contest the first of the two heats on Saturday, has only been with Hutchinson for around a week after only racing for fellow Queensland trainer Jack Butler late last month.

“We will leave it to the last minute to see what we do with him,” Hutchinson said of Spiders Devil.

Two heats of the Darrell Alexander Trotting Championship heats will be run on Saturday evening at Albion Park before more are set to be contested seven days later.

The Championships is for square gaiters with the highest point scorers over two rounds – to be run over the next two Saturday nights – of heats progressing to the Group 1 Final on Saturday July 17.

The 2021 TAB Queensland Constellations is this week headlined by the Listed Wondais Mate, to be run over the 1660-metre trip at Albion Park on Saturday night.

By Jordan Gerrans for Racing Queensland