First group driving success for Hackett comes in mum and dad’s colours

It’s not often you get harness racing of the quality we were treated to today on a Monday afternoon, however Auckland Anniversary Day provided just that with an eight race programme at Cambridge Raceway headlined by the fourth instalment of the $41,500 G3 Waikato Trotting Breeders Stakes.

A capacity field of 14 trotting mares greeted the starter for the 2700m feature trot which has been wonderfully supported since its inception. With the likes of dual G1 winner, Sunny’s Sister (Majestic Son) and Dominion runner up, Resolve (Andover Hall) in the contest, this year’s edition wasn’t lacking on quality either.

The handicap conditions saw the aforementioned runners with the task before them however conceding 30 and 40m respectively, with the G3 Flying Stakes winner, Sacred Mountain (Muscle Hill) joining Resolve as the other back marker in the field with the 2022 NZ Trotting Oaks winner, Con Grazia Love (Love You) the only other runner handicapped, albeit from the 10m mark.

Slipping quietly under the guard of the experts and many punters was the Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett trained Faith In Manchester (Creatine), who at the odds of $27 produced an upset victory in the hands of the training duo’s young daughter, Crystal Hackett.

“She has been racing super and you heard them on the pre race coverage talking about other runners and it was like she was the forgotten horse,” said Wallis.

“Her form is impeccable, she has a great record over the 2700m and steps and puts herself into a race. Everything obviously fell into place but we were wrapped with the result,” she said.

Faith In Manchester was a last start winner at Alexandra Park and hasn’t finished further afield than 5th in her prior nine runs and has shown great consistency in her career to date which has provided 17 placings alongside her now seven career victories.

As she has done in many of those races, Faith In Manchester was able to step early before handing up to the second favourite in the Jo Stevens trained Kiss And Run (What The Hill) and it was there she remained largely throughout the running. When presented with the passing lane, the five-year-old daughter of Creatine had too much speed for her stablemate, Melsadele (Orlando Vici) who was excellent once again in providing the Wallis/Hackett stable the feature race quinella.

“Faith In Manchester is one of those mares who when she is in form she holds it, and when she has had enough, she tells us thats the case and we give her a break. This time in, once she hit her form, she is just revelling in her work and loving life.

“We had her mother and she won the G3 Northern Breeders Stakes at Auckland long before Cambridge had one, so we have trained all of the foals out of her for the Steel’s and its fantastic to get another Group race for them. Unfortunately they were in holiday at Cairns at the moment and couldn’t be there today but they are pretty excited about the win.

“She raced at two where as Mum didnt, but I think a lot of the Creatine’s get better with age and she is just really coming into her own. The next plan will be the Mares race at Auckland in three weeks but she will keep racing until she tells us she has had enough.

“Take nothing away from Melsadele, she did all the work, Faith In Manchester had the trip. There isnt a lot between them and that was a super run by the other mare as well and she will likely target the G2 trot at Addington later in the year.

“Melsadele is probably a lot tougher, but as Faith has shown, when saved up for one run she has got the speed. Her last start in the Cambridge Trotting Stakes where she didnt deserve to win because she was bottled up and took the gap at the last minute and sprinted through. The other filly however can do the work in her races like you saw at Addington and today, and if you reverse the runs, you reverse the result but the other girl probably wouldnt have run second if she had to sit parked,” she said.

The feature race success was notably a proud parent moment for the North Island training partnership with Crystal Hackett realising her first Group race driving success with the G3 victory, made even more special by the fact she was wearing her parents colours.

Wallis was naturally delighted for her daughter whose driving career is flourishing, evident by a personal best 33 wins last year in just her third season as a junior.

“I’m proud as punch, she got a couple of Group One placings last year and while it might only be a Group Three, I’m sure more wont be far away hopefully,” said Wallis.

With her feet not yet having touched the ground only an hour removed from such a monumental milestone, the ever smiling Hackett could be heard grinning down the phone as she discussed the proudest moment in her career to date.

“I dont think I have stopped smiling yet, it was a pretty cool feeling straight after the line and the first people to congratulate me were Todd Mitchell and John Dunn and you cant get two better drivers than them giving you praise. It’s pretty surreal and something I will remember for a long time.

“I was pretty happy with getting some feature placings last year but the goal at the start of the year was to get a Group win somewhere so to get the monkey off the back so early in the season was really exciting. Especially in Mum and Dad’s colours thats for sure,” said Hackett.

“I still remember this girl as a weanling in the boxes at home she has been around that long and she just keeps getting better and better. She has improved so much over the last three or four months and it’s a big thrill to get a nice win with her because it’s going to look great in the pedigree page that’s for sure,” she said.

“Sunny’s Sister and Melsadele are both very good mares, but her form has been pretty good as of late and she has the manners now and thats the key to these races. I was able to step and hand to one that was going to stay in front and we were just able to capitalise on a great trip but she didn’t deserve to be at the long odds she was at, thats for sure,” she said.

Faith In Manchester trotted the 2700m journey in a tidy 3:28.7 with a mile rate of 2:04.4 and a last half of 59.1. The win took her career earnings to $110,229.

Rounding out the placings was the Peter and Vaughan Blanchard trained Majestic Ruby (Majestic Son) who also defied her speccing paying $5.70 for her place dividend.

Backmarkers Con Grazia Love and Sunny’s Sister were both gallant after early errors and being forced to chase the whole way, setting up an exciting sequel in three weeks time for the trotting mares at Alexandra Park.

FAITH IN MANCHESTER REPLAY

For complete Cambridge Raceway results, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink