Harding gets first training double

At the Amberley meeting on the grass at Rangiora today, McQueens Valley harness racing trainer Steve Harding notched up his first training double with a couple of siblings.

“It was a great thrill. I’m super rapt,” Harding said.

Both Manjimup (Big Jim) and Audacity (Sir Lincoln) are out of In The Pocket mare La Moocha, a daughter of 2001 New Zealand Cup winner Kym’s Girl. The winners were handled by Ross Cameron.

Cameron gave Manjimup the perfect trip behind pacemaker Jimmyray and got up to win by half a neck from Jimmy Arma while Audacity got back, got a cart into the race and came down the middle of the track to beat Style Council by a length.

Harding said he’d been reasonably confident both horses would go well today.

“Manjimup went well at his last start and trained on well. The other fella went well at the workouts a couple of weeks ago. I was confident they’d go well but sometimes you have to have a bit of luck.”

The win was Audacity’s second from just six starts, both successes having been on the grass at Rangiora.

“He’s got the potential to be a fairly good horse. His attitude and manners are just getting better and better. Ross said today that around at the start he was just like a lamb. It was the same in the running. He was relaxed and didn’t pull.

Older brother Manjimup’s win was his sixth with four coming on the grass.

Both horses were bred by Graeme Trist who shares in the ownership of Audacity with Harding.  Manjimup is also part owned by his trainer, with the other partners Trist, Ian Kininmonth and his daughter Sidney.

Harding who has held a trainer’s licence since 2008 is a full time electrician for Petrotech and began his training career in West Melton before moving to McQueens Valley. He’s also been involved in the Amateur Drivers programme.

Today’s double took Harding’s career tally to nine. His first winner was Manjimup at Methven in October 2020.

Harding’s stable is just down the road from the Motukarara track and he only races his horses over the summer months.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink