Brooke Fodie excited for first raceday drives

At Forbury Park TC harness racing meeting at Oamaru tomorrow there’ll be a new name in the racebook.

Twenty year old local Brooke Fodie will be having her first race day drive when she takes the reins of Justin Fun (Changeover) for local trainer Kerry Kelly in Race Two.

“I’m pumped. A wee bit nervous but more excited than nervous. Kerry brings her out to the track quite often. I know the horse but I’ve never driven her so that’ll be interesting (laughter),” Brooke said.

And in the following race she’ll handle Dem Bones Dem Bones (Monkey Bones) for her employer Matthew Williamson.

“I’ve handled her quite a bit. I jog her, feed her and do all the fast work so that’s an advantage. I hope she steps away and gets round safely.”

Race Seven will round out her first raceday of drives, when she’ll take the reins of Rural Cash (Highview Tommy), another Oamaru trained pacer, for Eion Latimer.

“We actually trained him before Eion got him. I qualified for my trials licence driving him and I still do a bit of fast work on him.”

Fodie comes from a pony club eventing background and she competed successfully while at high school.

“When I left school I decided I wanted to do something horsey and turn my passion into a job. I went to Phil Williamson’s because I just lived down the road. I was a stable hand for Phil for a year and then Matty decided to start training out of the Oamaru racecourse  and I followed him out there. I’ve been working for him for about three years.”

Fodie has held a trials licence for fourteen months.

“I’ve had most of my drives at Oamaru so it’s good that I’m having my first drive on my home track because I know it so well.”

Her great grandfather David Spark raced horses, including Set Sail (First Lord) which won three races for Derek Jones and Jack Grant. He also raced one of her progeny Sail Again (Armbro Del) which won seven; four for Ivan Schwamm and three for Richard Brosnan. Four of her wins were on the Oamaru track.

“David’s daughter is Cheryl Munro. She still breeds from the same bloodlines and one of the horses is Harrison.”

Good luck for your first raceday driving Brooke.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink