Canterbury owner revving the engine ahead of Grand Prix day

When it comes to passion and charisma for the sport of harness racing, few would match Canterbury owner and breeder Andrew Fry.

His involvement in the sport spans four decades and in that time he has experienced the highs and lows like everyone else.

After a couple of decades playing in the shallow end of the sport, this Sunday afternoon he jumps straight into the deep end when a trotter he co-owns lines up in the $110,000 Group One Ace of Hearts on Grand Prix Day at Addington this Sunday in the form of Princess Sadie (Muscle Mass).

The Matthew Williamson trainee has been one of the seasons most consistent performers in the juvenile trotting ranks, with the diminutive filly barely putting a foot wrong in her quest for spot on the ‘grid’ this weekend.

Other than the mistake she made at Ashburton, she has never gone a bad race and probably has had a few tough runs leading into Sunday,” said Fry.

“I know Matty has given her a freshen up with a view to getting her back on her ‘a’ game and if the horse who won her maiden turns up on Sunday, I give her a massive show of winning.

“I’m not saying we expect to win, but her gate speed and manners will have her in the fight for a long way and that’s half the battle in these juvenile trotting races. You have to be in it to win it and win lose or draw, we are going to have a bloody good day, I can promise you that much,” he said.

Fry has been a breath of fresh air throughout the season at meetings up and down the country as he traverses around the South Island in pursuit of the ever elusive race winner.

He can often be heard enjoying himself in the company of likeminded individuals, and even more easily sighted with a love for a bold print that would rival even Cran Dalgety.

The journey has been a long road for Fry and his family having bred and raced many a horse over the years. A recent decision to get a little more serious about the industry he loves has seen Fry and his family making their way to the birdcage a little more frequently in the 2023 season.

Not that Andrew minds one bit, with the passion on full display in one of Nigel Armstrong’s Harness Racing Unhinged interviews of the year capturing Fry in the aftermath of Princess Sadie’s maiden success at headquarters on debut back in late September.

“It had been over 20 years since we have won a race at Addington and anyone who knows me knows that I’m not usually short for a few words. So to be speechless when she won her maiden was quite a rare occasion,” he laughed at the time.

PRINCESS SADIE REPLAY

Speaking with Harnesslink today, he spoke of the season which has resulted in five race wins and how it had come to fruition.

“We are having great fun and intend to continue to have fun, it’s what it’s all about,” he said.

“To put it in perspective, we had five winners in our first 20 years of racing horses and we’ve had five winners this season alone.

“How it came about with Matty was we were meddling round with our own breed and only getting fair results and I said to my family that there has to be a better way and decided it was time to put some money up and get a bit more serious about our passion.

“We had our four win pacing mare, The Matriarch (Captaintreacherous) with Matty when we purchased a trotting mare called Myshout (Majestic Son) off of Gavelhouse and true to form with Matty, he quickly told us that she was no champion but felt he might be able to pick up a win somewhere down the line.

“He had her dual nominated for Invercargill and Oamaru and asked me what we wanted to do knowing we were coming down for the Oamaru meeting, but did say he felt she was better suited to the Invercargill race which she duly won. It couldn’t have worked out any better being my Dad’s birthday,” he proudly exclaimed.

That led to a chance conversation with Williamson who was heading to the yearling sales in the following days and asked whether Fry would be interested in purchasing a share in a trotter Williamson had selected.

“He told us he was going to the sales which were a couple days later and asked us if we would be interested in securing a horse. We were all in at this stage and despite going there to buy just the one, Matty ended up coming home with two which we took 25% shares in each.

“Matty was really good and didn’t want us to feel like we had to take a share in each of them, but I told him I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if one turned out to be Sundee’s Son and the other only fair, so took a share in both and haven’t looked back,” he said.

As fate would have it, Princess Sadie is the only one of the Williamson pair to be sighted this season with the other half of the duo tipped out to furnish into his frame.

The real return for Fry however has come in the form of the friendships he has forged since joining forces with the one of the talented trio of Williamson brothers.

“We spend a lot of money in the game, but sharing this experience with my family is just priceless and Matty and his family play a big role in that too.

“They make us feel so welcome and the communication is just sensational. We feel like we are truly part of the process week to week and get regular updates from charlotte and Matty every week which is just so valuable as an owner.

“His family are just unbelievable as well, when we won a race not long ago, Phil was one of the first people to come up to us and congratulate us and we did the same last week when Empire City beat us home. Racing is about sharing the experience and the fun and is meant to be enjoyed. I cannot give enough thanks for the enjoyment they have given myself and the rest of the family.

“I recently met one of the other owners in Sadie, he flies down from Auckland and we have become good friends and I feel like we have known him our whole lives. He is coming down again this weekend and we will get on the lash a bit and honestly, if Sadie was to win the Group One on Sunday I can confidently say I won’t be making work on Monday,” he laughed.

Having succumbed to Fry’s staying abilities the evening Sadie won her maiden, I have little doubt he will be going at sunrise should Matty Williamson achieve Group One glory.

For complete Harness Grand Prix Day race fields, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink