Cullen delivers first G1 for another young Canterbury horseman

Way back in 1997, the champion harness racing pacer, Christian Cullen, gave the late Danny Campbell his first taste of Group One triumph as a young person making his way in the sport.

Last night at Addington, the inaugural $200,000 G1 Christian Cullen provided another young person in our industry with his first major success as the Tom Bamford trained Rakero Rocket upset a talented field of four-year-old pacers thanks to a typically cunning Gavin Smith drive.

Smith unleashed the son of Rock N Roll Heaven off the mobile on dispatch and led for fun as they went past the winning post the first time in the 2600m event.

Blair Orange set Don’t Stop Dreaming alight down the back straight the first time and worked hard to find the front. The pair went about setting a solid tempo with the seven horse field content to race in single file until the 1000m mark where John Dunn was the first to move on Charlie Brown (Art Major).

Merlin worked from the rear of the field three wide to get up outside his arch nemesis at the 800m and from there it looked like the expected showdown between the benchmark of this crop for the last couple of seasons.

Smith and Rakero Rocket travelled well throughout and it was clear as soon as he took the Bamford trained four-year-old to the lane, he had plenty more to offer then a cameo role in the fight to finish.

The Addington Crowd who had just moments earlier been revved up by the on track involvement of the great thirty year old stallion, Christian Cullen himself, roared with delight as Rakero Rocket sprinted best and won the inaugural event by a half length at the finish.

“I kind of thought about it a bit this one and I thought this was the only scenario where we would be a good chance of running at least third. It came with a bit of risk obviously, but today it worked. It was a pretty cool race to do it in,” said Smith post race.

RAKERO ROCKET REPLAY

“They are amazing horses Merlin and Don’t Stop Dreaming, so to be third you would be pretty happy with but to get the win was even better,” he said.

Christian Cullen’s racing career wasn’t without drama, and few would forget his late scratching at the Miracle Mile as a three-year-old in 1997.

Fast forward to 2024 and even the now docile entire surely remembers the sound of the inquiry siren, which was now bellowing out as Smith and Rakero Rocket returned to the stables.

Orange and Don’t Stop Dreaming had suffered a punctured sulky wheel at the 250m from the trailing winner, and the countries leading reinsman wanted to review the tape to work out whether an official protest would be lodged.

Once he and the Stewards were satisfied that given the margin at the finish, there were no grounds for a protest to be lodged. Bamford, who was stuck in limbo as to whether he would retain his maiden Group One training success, visibly had an enormous grin when he was informed during an interview the protest was dismissed.

“I don’t even know what is going on,” said Bamford.

“You dream of things like this and kids being in this sport, and for it to happen to me, I’m just a young fella, it’s amazing,” he said.

“We spoke a couple of days ago and just on paper it looked like everybody was going to be going back and we were here to race and thought we might catch a few of them napping. I knew if Gav fizzed him up a bit behind the gate he would fly it and Blair (Orange) might not have a choice.

“It worked out that way, he crossed for fun, he led easily and the rest was history. We’ve held the race. Like I said, you dream of these days, and I don’t even know what to say,” he said.

The 29 year old has achieved something that he will remember for the rest of his life and in the late evening sun at Addington Raceway, was able to bask in the glory of something he may only ever dared to dream be possible.

Good old Christian Cullen, a pacer and stallion who made the impossible seem possible, continues to deliver golden moments even if it is only just in name.

For complete Addington Derby night results, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink