Kiwi born driver lands first win

New Zealand born driver Sam Clotworthy had a night that he will never forget in Hobart on Friday when the 24-year-old New Zealand reinsman landed his first win as a driver.

Clotworthy partnered the Ben Yole trained Nancys Baby to victory in the Nutrein Ag Supplies Pace.

“It was definitely exciting, I don’t get too carried away or anything, but I have already had a few drives and Ben has given me some great opportunities, and it certainly was a massive thrill,” said Clotworthy.

“It was bound to come with the opportunities Ben and his owners have been giving me,” added the driver.

Nancys Baby was sent out as a $41 chance, Clotworthy was able to angle the three-year-old Pet Rock filly behind the leader before easing to the outside at the top of the home straight where she sprinted away to score by 7.2 metres.

The time for the mile trip was 1m 58.9s, a handy run for the rating 30 to 49 event.

“She just travelled on the leader’s helmet all the way and never felt like dropping the bit, she did it easily when I pulled her out,’ said the reinsman who had been in the sulky for the filly’s last two starts.

“Her first two runs back had been good, she should have run fourth in Hobart first-up, but I ran into a few dead ends in what was a hot three-year-old field, and then in Launceston last week I just had no luck again drawn out in seven,” said the New Zealander.

Clotworthy’s interest in racing stems from trips to the gallops with his grandfather in New Zealand’s north island.

“I was at school and wasn’t doing that flash, and I wanted to find something to do, we went to the trots one night and met a few blokes. I got offered a job with Brent Mangos and within 12 months I was driving in trials over there,” Clotworthy reminisced.

Clotworthy ended up switching countries and codes where he worked for some of thoroughbred racing’s well know trainers.

“I ended up moving to Melbourne, and I got a job working with Clinton McDonald before I got opportunities working for Gai Waterhouse and Anthony Cummings,” said Clotworthy who worked with horses of the highest level.

“I kind of reached a limit with that, you could be helping them win group and listed races, and you only get a thank you and your wages at the end of the day,” explained the reinsman.

Clotworthy did head back across the ditch and spent about six months at home before deciding to get back into the harness racing game. After chatting with a few mates, he decided to head to Tasmania and join the Ben Yole stable, but it wasn’t the start in Tasmania Clotworthy had planned.

“I just made it when COVID-19 hit, I had to do two-weeks isolation at the Legana Holiday Park, and then after that, it was all guns blazing and I managed to get a lot of trial drives up,” Clotworthy said.

The win of Nancys Baby was the first leg of a training treble for the Ben Yole stable.

Tim Yole made a rare appearance in the sulky and showed his brother how it is done when he scored on My Celebrity while Troy McDonald partnered Tarelton Riley to victory later in the night to complete the treble.

Taylor Ford continued her excellent run with a driving double, scoring with Big Bang Raj and Sea Double Ugrant.

Conor Crook is another reinsman enjoying a good run of late and that continued with Stormont Star, who was the only favourite to win on the eight-race card.

John Walters travelled down the Midland Highway for two drives and returned home with a double, winning the final two races on Karalta Moondance and Wandary Muscat.

Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing