Darling Me gets the Kennys out of Auckland

Paul and Mary Kenny were very happy to have a chance to get away from Auckland having had to stay pretty close to home for the past two years due to the pandemic, but when their harness racing horse Darling Me won at Winton today it was the icing on the cake.

The royally bred Sweet Lou racehorse who’s out of champion Adore Me was just too slick for a small but select group of mares in the $25,000 Southern Belle Series Final over 1609 metres.

Darling Me warming up with Tim Williams

Driver Tim Williams pushed the go button early, keen to take up the leader’s role.

Tim Williams pushed Darling Me (3) out early

From there horse and driver dictated the race with Darling Me winning by two lengths from another Canterbury visitor Folklore.

Clear at the finish

The winning time was 1-54.9.

“She’s better coming off the back of a helmet, but she did it pretty easy out there today. It was a great drive by Tim, and I was very happy with her,” said co-trainer Amanda Telfer.

After the win with Amanda Telfer and Tim Williams

After the win the Kennys enjoyed good Central Southland hospitality and have loved their trip south.

“I had some Bluff Oysters last night and I’m paying for it today. They’ve given me a bit of gout,” Paul said.

Mary and Paul Kenny

Amanda says Darling Me’s next target will be the Uncut Gems on the 6^{th of} May at Addington.

“After that she’ll go to the paddock. Since she’s been with us she hasn’t had a long spell, so it’ll be good to put her out for a month or six weeks.”

The win today was Darling Me’s ninth from just twenty nine starts. Last month in a qualifying heat of the Southern Belle Series at Wyndham she paced a mile in 1-51.8 which was a track and the Southland mare’s record.

The Telfers also won earlier in the programme today when Matt Major won the fourth heat of the Alabar Southern Supremacy Stakes.

“He’s a nice horse and he’s got the motor but has got a little bit to learn.”

Matt Major winning at Winton

Presentation

Amanda says after today’s win she and training partner Steve are contemplating whether the American Ideal gelding should start in the $50,000 Group Two Supremacy Stakes Final at the end of this month.

“He was going to go to the paddock after today but having a crack at the final could still be on the cards.”

The Southern Belle and Supremacy covers ready to head back to Canterbury

Matt Major is a product of Tuapeka Lodge and is out of speedy mare Break Dance which won the Southern Belle Speed Series Final on this course in 1-53.3 which is still a race record.

Later in the day the Telfer/Williams combination were at it again when Aardie’s Express won the John Keenan Memorial Mobile Pace making it three winners on the eleven race card.

When pressed about rumours of the Telfer team setting up a satellite stable in Southland, Telfer was surprised at the suggestion.

“I haven’t heard that but that would be interesting (laughter).”

She did confirm though that the Stonewood Stud operation would love to win the New Zealand Trainers Premiership at some point soon.

“We thought maybe next year but we’ll see how things go. We’ve got a lot of nice two year olds and yearlings coming through so that’s why we thought next year.”

The stable has purchased Jack Smolenski’s old property. Demolition of the old buildings happened this week and a new barn modelled on Stonewell’s Auckland stable is expected to be built in the next few months.

View the Winton results click here!

by Bruce Stewart