First Group One for Whites and O’Reilly

It was a coming of age yesterday for the Ashburton harness racing duo of Brent and Tim White and their stable driver Sarah O’Reilly when they all won their first Group One race.

“It’s mind blowing for us and just continues a great year we’ve had. It’s not easy every day, but days like today makes it all worthwhile,” Tim said after American Me (American Ideal) won the Ascot Park Hotel Invercargill Cup.

Brent had won five Group Threes with Cranbourne (2) and One Apollo (3). The training partnership is only in it’s second season and had previously won a Group Three with American Me and a Group Two with Shard Matrix.

“We couldn’t do it without everybody else at home. It’s a big team effort.”

This was by far O’Reilly’s biggest win in the sulky. Her previous wins are a Listed race driving Willie Go West, a Group Three on American Me and a Group Two driving Shards Matrix.

“She pulls off those sorts of drives more often than not now. She’s a phenomenal driver.”

American Me was initially trained by Doug Gale. He won nine races with the gelding prior to it heading south to the White’s Ashburton barn.

“We’ve liked him from the day he walked into the stable. He won those early races in his own grade but we didn’t really know how much further he would go. To say six months ago that we would be winning an Invercargill Cup I would have said you were dreaming.”

There were plenty of fireworks in yesterday’s feature. After stepping away, O’Reilly took American Me straight to the top before stablemate Got You Covered took over. Not content with the pace, O’Reilly came out of the trail and went to the front again. With 1800 metres to travel Mark Purdon had favourite Self Assured sitting parked with Beach Ball on his back and at the 1300 Self Assured took over the role of pacemaker.

With 800 metres to run Ricky May hooked Beach Ball out and rushed up to put the pressure on Self Assured with O’Reilly sitting pretty in the trail. Once the field balanced up for the run home O’Reilly got to work on American Me and with both drivers throwing the reins at their charges, Self Assured and American Me went to the finish line locked together. American Me got the call.

The winning margin was a nose with a further length and a half back to Beach Ball.

“I was really confident when I watched it live. But someone asked if I thought I’d won and I had to have another look.”

Yesterday’s cup was run in 3-57.6 with the last 800 metres cut out in 55.9. Classie Brigade holds the track and race record, taking the Cup in 2017 in 3-53.4.

“I was standing beside Benny Hill (trainer of Beach Ball) watching the race. We were commentating the race between us. It was really cool. He’s had a lot of success with horses and to be in the company of those sorts of people was very humbling.”

The only downside to the win was that Brent wasn’t there.

“It’s a bugger he’s not here for our first Group One.”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink