Alexandra Park treble for Crystal Hackett

It is testament to how huge Crystal Hackett’s 2024 has been that a winning harness racing treble at Alexandra Park on Friday night didn’t seem that unusual.

Don’t be mistaken, it is not that the Auckland junior didn’t love every minute of her three wins, two of them coming in the night’s $35,000 Metro Finals.

It is just the year has been so sensational a Friday night treble is just another highlight.

“I have actually had four winners in a night,” says Hackett, matter-of-factly and without a hint of arrogance.

After all, just a week ago she was crowned the McMillan Equine Feeds Junior Drivers’ Champ.

“It was a funny feeling to win the series without winning a race but I had to drive a 100-1 chance into second to seal the title so I still felt like I earned it,” she says.

“And it is a great thing to tick off the bucket list and means I get to represent New Zealand in the Australasian Junior Champs again.”

That huge last week comes after Hackett of course won a mammoth Group 1 double earlier in the year on Mach Shard, who she would love to get back on for the New Zealand Cup.

“To get a drive in a New Zealand Cup would be so special, if it happened.”

Friday night’s treble could hardly have been better, two being for her parents and one for bosses Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan.

It started with Viscount Mackendon (Volstead), a trotter Mum (Michelle Wallis) rates highly and he trotted a slick 2:0 mile rate for 2200m beating another handy three-year-old in Father Barry, in the Val Hart Mobile Trot.

“He is a nice horse with heaps of improvement in him and handled his first mobile really well,” says Hackett.

Next up with Magic Dash (Kadabra) who the young reinswoman handled beautifully in the Tony Grayling $35,000 Northern Metro Trot Final, coming with a well-timed run to trot 1:56.8, a good time for this grade.

“He is a really good horse in this grade and I have to thank Mum and Dad and the owners for letting me get back in him after missing his last start.”

Hackett doubled down in the Lynette Burton Northern Metro Pace Final when she had to drive Invisible (Always B Miki) ugly to down stablemate Always B Elite, at $26.90 for the win.

“He is tougher than he is fast so that was the way to drive him.”

Hackett’s treble was the highlight of the Alex Park programme but the best single performance came from Jolimont, who was back to winning form in the main mile pace, the Pat Gubb Mobile Pace.

He worked hard early and David Butcher too no prisoners as he paced 1:52.5 to beat Village Rebel in what will be a confidence-boosting win for a horse who should be an open class regular in 2025.

For complete race results, click here

by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand