Alicia Harrison loving Stonewall

Twenty seven year old Alicia Harrison’s harness racing journey has taken a few turns but being based at Stonewall Stud under the guidance of Steve Telfer has given her an opportunity many junior drivers would not get.

Working at Stonewall for nearly a year now, she’s enjoying every moment of it.

“Steve’s brilliant, a very good teacher and I’m getting some really nice drives. I was pretty lucky to drive horses like Akatea (Art Major) that won last Friday. She’s a lovely filly. She wasn’t concentrating but still got the job done. Once she works it out she’ll be a chance in some of those good fillies races,” Alicia said.

Stonewall has close to thirty two year olds in work as well as a host of other very good horses, Fernleigh Cash (Bettor’s Delight) being one.

“He’s my favourite gelding and could be heading to some of those good races and maybe the Cup.”

Alicia has driven Fernleigh Cash three times for a win, a second and a third.

Stonewall has sixty horses currently in the barn. Alicia feels fortunate to live on the property.

“We start at five and chip away for most of the day. It’s great. I can get up fifteen minutes before work!”

Between 2017 and 2023 Alicia drove eighty two winners and is currently fourth in the New Zealand Junior Drivers Championship (North Island) on 139 points.

Thirty one for Arna Donnelly, nineteen for Steve and Amanda Telfer and five for Steve Telfer.

Her list of achievements includes winning the New Zealand Junior Drivers Championship in 2018. Winning the Revell Douglas Series in 2022 allowed her the opportunity for work experience in Australia.

“I went over to Pete McMullen’s for a week and that was pretty cool. I plan to head over for the Interdominions and then head to Melbourne because I’m good friends with Sophie Jefferies, Kyle Marshall’s partner.”

Things haven’t always been plain sailing. Her career was put on hold when a car she was travelling in was involved in a head-on crash near Cambridge in 2022. She was a hospital for a while and sidelined from racing for three months.

Although she doesn’t have any major issues from her injuries she has to be careful.

“Any little bump, I’ve got to be a little bit careful. My sternum still bothers me a bit. I was pretty lucky considering what happened.”

Harrison has been around horses most of her life. Her grandfather Warren Taylor trains out of Morrinsville and has held a license since 1993. He’s trained forty three winners including Sir Henry Castleton (Monarchy) which won four races – three with Alicia in the cart. His other good winners have been Sapphire Castleton (10 wins), Saffron Castleton (4) and George Castleton (8 wins including the Listed Greenlane Cup).

“Grandad bought me a Kidz Kartz pony when I was about six or seven and I’ve been hooked ever since. I won the Interdoms, competed in the New Zealand Cup (Kidz Kartz) and in all the Waikato Kidz Kartz races. I had a lot of fun doing it and went up and down the country.”

She particularly remembers Tiny Tim, one of her Kidz Kartz ponies.

“Johnny Morrison bought him off me. I think he used to take him down to the pub and take the boys for rides round the track. He was a right little shit to be honest, but he taught me a lot of resilience.”

Alicia attended Morrinsville College then Massey University in Palmerston North.

“I tried to get into Vet (course), but I wasn’t quite smart enough or committed enough once I started drinking (laughter). I ended up getting a Bachelor of Science majoring in agriculture and minoring in the horses. I also worked for Stephen Doody while I was down there.”

She went to work at Arna Donnelly’s Cambridge stable in 2016 with a year left of her university studies. After graduating as a 21 year old she changed to full time and worked there for six years.

Although her parents weren’t keen on her choice of career, they’ve come round since.

“Mum and Dad said no way are you doing that for a career. I wouldn’t say I got forced to go to Uni but got strongly encouraged. But now I’m happy and they’re happy and earning enough money to survive (laughter). I couldn’t imagine sitting in an office. I love the horses and love seeing them every day. It’s beautiful here living on the farm.”

Donnelly provided Alicia with she first winner – No Way Else (Elsu) at Cambridge on 5^th February 2017.

“He was the first pacer I’d driven. I’d just driven Granddad’s old mare Sapphire Castleton (Malabar Maple). It was my sixth drive in a junior race and it was awesome. He was a real cool old horse.”

Harrison took out a trainers license in 2021 after she bought Shirley Bassey (Bettor’s Delight) at the 2019 NZB Standardbred Sales. Due to the car accident she passed the horse on to her grandfather Warren.

“He didn’t have a horse and he loves to go to the races. I couldn’t be bothered bringing her up with me because she was not quite good enough. He loves getting up, heading down to the track, talking to all the boys and having something to do. It keeps him going and he enjoys seeing me at the races.”

Senior driver Todd Mitchell is one of the many good people Harrison has been surrounded by and she appreciates his sound advice.

“He’s gone through all my drives over the last few years. My grandad has been a massive influence, Arna’s been a huge influence and Steve this year has been great.”

And when it comes to her driving preferences? It’s definitely pacers.

“I grew up doing trotters but it’s damn hard to get a drive on them up here. No one will put a junior on. All the stables I’ve worked at have had solely pacers. When you get to drive a nice trotter it’s good but not many of them are like that. I did get to drive a nice trotter of Tony Herlihy’s.”

At some point she’ll utilise her trainers license.

“Down the track I’d like to get serious about training but I’d like to stick it out here for another four or five years then I might do a bit of travel and see how it’s done overseas and come back and train.”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink