Harrison drives first winner for “new” boss

Driving a harness racing winner at Cambridge Raceway last night was a “first” for junior driver Alicia Harrison.

She drove For Always Arden to take out the Ferguson Racing Thanks Owners and Clients Mobile Pace and while it was her third win since returning to racing after being out of commission for a year due to shoulder surgery it was her first for her “new” boss Tony Herlihy since joining his stables in April.

“I was looking for a change, and the chance to work for Tony came up,” she said, “he’s one of the best there is driving and training, so it was an opportunity I definitely couldn’t pass by.”

“I’m loving it, the team’s all been super good to me and the horses are lovely to work with.”

Harrison gave the gelding a perfect trip, settling three-back the pegs behind race favourite Eyeliner. At the 400 metre mark the pair found clear air and made a strong bid down the centre of the track, ultimately being too strong for their rivals.

“It was good to get the job done,” said Harrison, “I thought he was a nice enough chance if he could trail or get a bit of luck from three back.”

It was the four-year-old’s first win four career starts.

Formerly a force in the northern junior driver ranks, Alicia was forced to take a break from the game due to a serious shoulder operation in May last year.

“The surgeon wasn’t overly thrilled with my career choice,” she laughed, “it was a full year off of driving, the recovery was pretty brutal, a very slow process.”

Since returning to driving in January this year, Harrison has had 16 drives for three winners and a further two placings. She says the plan moving forward is to just keep doing what she loves.

“I still really love driving. I’ll keep doing my best when I get the opportunities. I’d really like to train one day but for now I’m happy at Tony’s.”

Earlier in the night Bruce Hadley took out the first heat of New Zealand Amateur Drivers’ Championships at Cambridge with the Jeremy Young-trained Billy The Kid. John Kriechbaumer was second and Alan Edge third in what was a thrilling finish.

The championships head to Addington tonight (Friday) and conclude at Addington on Sunday.

For complete race results, click here.

by Jordyn Bublitz for Harness Racing New Zealand