Williamson to drive Mistress in Aussie

Southland driver Nathan Williamson has been locked in to drive Captains Mistress (Captaintreacherous) in her next two races in Australia.

Williamson developed the three year old filly and after a successful early season three year old campaign, it was decided by owner Mick Boots and Williamson to send her to Grant Dixon in Brisbane for a Queensland winter campaign.

She had her first start at Albion Park just over a week ago and impressively won by 9.1 metres with Dixon doing the driving.

“Like Nathan said, she’s a good relaxed racehorse who does what you ask of her,” he said.

Captains Mistress will have her next start on Saturday in the $52,000 Group Three Redcliffe Oaks at Redcliffe over 2280 metres with Williamson booked to take the drive.

“He’s done all the hard work with her and it’ll be good for him to come over and have a drive of her. It’ll be a good race to keep her up to the mark. She holds her weight good, and Nathan said it’ll be good to have her ticking over.”

The plan is to then start both Captains Mistress and Dixon’s other good filly Cool And Classy in the Group One $150,000 Queensland Oaks on Saturday 19^th July with Williamson driving Captains Mistress.

“The plan was to always have him drive in two of the races. All going well we’ll stick to that plan.”

Williamson has had driving success previously in Australia prior to winning the Group One Victoria Trotters Derby with Springbank Richard. He also won at Albion Park in a heat of the 2009 Australasian Young Drivers Championship.

Dixon says Captains Mistress has settled in well to her new surroundings at Tamborine.

“She came across with Taylad To Use. We mated her up with him and they seem good mates.”

Captains Mistress has now won six of her twelve starts, including both the two and three year old Group One Sires Stakes Series Fillies Championships. And she’s impressed her new trainer.

“She’s a good moving clever filly who’s really professional and goes about her work. She feels fast, strong and good mannered. Ticks all the boxes.”

Williamson says Captains Mistress was sent to Australia because there were good opportunities for her to race for good money.

“This campaign it was evident that she needed a couple of races before she reached her peak. There are certain times of the year when (the racing for fillies and mares) is great and other times when it’s not. If everything goes well with her I can’t see why she can’t go over there regularly. Eventually she’ll go over there full-time. It could be where she ends up,” Williamson said.

Captains Mistress will likely return to New Zealand some time after the Queensland Oaks.

“It’s still to be decided when she comes back but there’s a lot of nice races for her over here in the spring,”  said Williamson.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink