Bits and Bridles

Two well-bred two year olds were on show for Nathan Williamson at the Invercargill Workouts on Friday.

Treacherous Me, a Captaintreacherous filly out of Only Me, took out the three horse 1700 metre mobile workout  from Simply Amazing – a Bettor’s Delight colt out of Simply Devine.

Treacherous Me is the second foal out of her dam who’s a full sister to Splendour (9 wins) and Maxim (12) and all are members of the Scuse Me family.

Simply Devine is a full brother to The Black Flash the winner of eleven. And he’s a half to Start Dreaming who’s the dam of Don’t Stop Dreaming, Dreams Are Free and Always Dreaming.

The second of the TAB Club owned horses to show up in public was at the Invercargill Workouts on Friday.

Off The Canvas (Art Major – Triple Sec) was purchased for $40,000 at the 2024 NZB Standardbred Yearling Sale and entrusted to Southland trainer Nathan Williamson.

He ran second to stablemate Palladium in a Leaners Heat over 2200 metres.

Other horses purchased by the TAB Club were Sidestepper which is trained by Robert and Jenna Dunn, Eun Sogno which recently qualified for Cran and Chrissie Dalgety and No More Dreaming bought for $340,000 and trained by Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan.

Roxburgh breeder Bill Bain scored a notable double at the weekend.

Cool For Cats won the Group Two Delightful Lady Stakes at Alexandra Park on Friday night and Celestial Sea won a heat of the Anne Thompson Graduation Series at Rangiora.

Both horses are by Always B Miki and are trained by Robert and Jenna Dunn.

Cool For Cats is out of Bunter’s Dream, a Bettor’s Delight mare that goes back to Dreamy Atom, a mare Southland breeder Vin Devery had a lot of success with. Celestial Sea is out of the seven win Christian Cullen mare Change Time.

Some interesting facts have emerged as the current Manawatu Harness Racing season ends.

In the eighteen meetings between November last year and the last meeting last week, Canterbury trainer Michael House has started 192 runners – an average of 10 starters per meeting.

In those eighteen meetings he’s trained 51 winners with his son Wilson reining 39 and emerging junior Harrison Orange notching up 10 winners for House.

Follow Me Fantasy, Gotta Elect Bill, Matai Harry and Matai Lizzy with three wins each, were House’s most successful runners over this period.

Of the $1,405,006 in stakes offered, House’s runners took home $420,446 – 29.9 percent.

House has been a major supporter of the Manawatu Club and he’s just three wins away from 300 on the Palmy circuit.

As a side note of the 128 races run over this period, junior drivers drove 57% of the winners. Wilson House (41), Harrison Orange (14) and Crystal Hackett (12) led the charge.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink