Bits and Bridles

When veteran trotter Aveross Majesty (Majestic Son) won at Oamaru recently for trainer Denis O’Connell, the win took the horse’s stake earnings to over the $100,000 mark.

The eight year old gelding qualified at Ashburton as a four year old for Andrew Faulks and had seven starts for his stable before O’Connell took over.

Aveross Majesty has a liking for the grass surfaces and has now won four races on the Oamaru grass track. His other grass wins have been at Wingatui, Mt Harding, Cromwell and Motukarara.

Sam Thornley has become the nineth New Zealand driver to win the Australasian Junior Drivers Championship. He joins Lauren Pearson (1998), Mark Jones (1999), Jay Abernethy (2006), Joshua Dickie (2011), Andre Poutama (2014), Robbie Close (2015), Sheree Tomlinson (2018) and Sarah O’Reilly (2019).

If Thornley wins the hotly contested New Zealand Junior Drivers Championship he’ll become only the third junior driver to win both the Australasian and New Zealand Junior Drivers Championships in the same year. Previous dual winners have been Mark Jones in 1999 and Robbie Close in 2015.

If you ever wanted proof that stake money in harness racing is very good at the moment, read on.
Two of the elder statesmen of Michael House’s team – ten year olds Warloch (Well Said) and Santanna Mach, (Santanna Blue Chip) are having stakes wise, their best season.

Warloch has won $66,396 so far this season while Santanna Mach has banked $57,596.

Both horses qualified as three year olds in December 2016 and between them have won more than $500,000 in stakes.

Santanna Mach’s win at Rangiora on Sunday was his twenty first while Warloch has won seventeen races.

It’s great to see the next generation of young trainers and drivers winning Group One races, For example Zev Meredith at Alexandra Park on Friday.

Other first time Group One winners to date this season are Vaughan Blanchard in partnership with his father Peter with Beetastic, Craig Ferguson driving Marketplace, Nathan Williamson training Captains Mistress, Tom Bamford training Rakero Rocket and Tate Hopkins with Cyclone Jordy.

Kenny Baynes has achieved something his father Colin couldn’t quite manage, with One More Moment taking out the inaugural Group One Queen Of Diamonds.

This is the first time a member of the Baynes family has won a Group One race as an owner.

Colin who commenced his harness racing career in 1960, owned many good horses, such as Game Paul, Rocking Berry, Cool Cat, Flying Maiden, Cool Cobber, Sly Brewer and Dear Sir.

However he did have two Group One successes as a trainer when he trained Roman Gladiator with Robin Swain to win the Group One Sires’ Stakes Final at Addington in 2003 and the NSW Derby in the same year.

He’d be proud of his son’s achievement especially since One More Moment is a trotter.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink