Green gets 400 with Mor Moonlight

Southland driver Kirstin Green brought up a milestone at Ashburton today when three year old trotter Mor Moonlight, which she also trains won the $60,000 Listed Mainland Repairs Mobile Trot.

The three year old filly is raced by Tom and Julie Kilkelly, Jason McMath and Alan Dennis.

“I’d just like to say a massive thanks to Tom and Julie. They’ve backed me 100% throughout my whole career. I wouldn’t be here today doing what I love if it wasn’t for them,” Green said.

The race was marred by a pile up in the back straight when Sarah O’Reilly (Snooogood), Gerard O’Reilly (Georgia Trouble) and Sheree Tomlinson (Zhutee) were all tipped out of their carts.

The finish was left to three southern fillies – Penelope Lane, Mhor Moonlight and Atlantic City.

At the end of the hard grind Mor Moonlight (One Over Da Moon) was too tough, beating Atlantic City (Volstead) by a length and a half with Penelope Lane (Volstead) a neck back in third.

MHOR MOONLIGHT REPLAY

“It wasn’t how I planned to drive her but it’s just the way it goes sometimes. Brad (Penelope Lane) kept going with us so we just had to keep going forward. I had faith in the horse and she gave it all for us today.”

Green was confident Mor Moonlight would perform well today after running a good fourth last week at Winton.

“It was a really good run last week. We had a wee issue with her being a little bit pacey, but she trotted super, running 3-06 over 2400 metres against the older horses and she acquitted herself well. We knew she was fit going into today’s race. We just had to hope that she trotted.”

The win was Kirstin’s 400^th as a driver. Her first win was Miss Lyndal for Alan Clyma at Forbury in June 1999.

Of her 400 winners, 69 have been for Tom Kilkelly with her first being Real Golden Girl at Ascot Park in January 2009.

Outside of her wins with her own stable runners, Kirstin has driven 81 winners for Doug McLachlan, 22 for Tony Barron and 13 for Ricky Gutsell.

Her feature wins have been with El Nino in the 2009 Kindergarten Stakes, U May Cullect in the Uncut Gems, Watch Me Now in the Group One NZ Standardbred Breeders’ Stakes, Tommy Waterhouse in the Uncut Gems and Vessem in the 2023 Kindergarten Stakes.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink