Green wins second Kindy

Southland harness racing driver Kirstin Green won her second Kindergarten Stakes at Wyndham today (Apr. 6) after a tough professional performance from the Mark and Nathan Purdon trained Vessem (Vincent).

This was the first time Green has driven for the All Stars stable. It’s her second win in the $45,000 Group Two feature, her last being fourteen years ago on the Doug McLachlan trained El Nino (Live Or Die).

Vessem was bred by Hazel von Opzeeland who still owns a share in the gelding with a host of others including Southlanders Stu and Pauline Gillan.

Stu said, “I looked in the race book and saw the first winner was Lordship in 1961 and he was my favourite horse. I also remember Matai Dreamer winning the race (1978). As the late Don Wright (Southland Times Racing Journalist) would have said, ‘it’s a time honoured race.’ There’s a lot of history to this race and it’s a great thrill to win it,” he added.

The Gillans and some of the same ownership group race Vessem’s full brother Vinke B who’s won once and recorded five placing from just ten starts.

“We bought Vinke B at the Sales and I quite like the Vincents, so Mark bought this one (Vessem) and Pauline and I took a share.”

Pauline couldn’t attend today’s meeting because of work commitments.

“She doesn’t know a lot about racing but loves to be in on the horses. She never sees a bill so that’s good (laughter).”

The margin at the end of the 1609 metres was just a neck from stablemate Major Hot (Art Major) with the time 1-57.6 on a rain affected track. There were four and three quarter lengths back to Sodoyahavtime (Art Major).

“I was very nervous because I was on my own and I hate it. If you’ve got fellow owners around, you can share the ups and downs together. Today I walked down to watch and they’d already gone two hundred yards. I thought ‘we’re going to get rolled’ because Major Hot had the one one and would probably win but our wee fella stuck on which was good. It’s nice to have a two year old because often you have to wait a few years.”

Today’s success included, the All Stars stable has now won the last six Kindergarten Stakes.

Gillan says both Vessem and Major Hot will stay in the south under the watchful eye of Kirstin Green and run in the $55,000 Group Two Diamond Creek Farm Two Year Old Classic on Diamonds Day on Sunday 23^rd April.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink