Heads and horse tails

Twenty three year old Waimumu harness racing trainer Rebecca Heads certainly hasn’t had an easy road to follow especially in the last twelve months.

After creating a clear pathway in the sport early in her career she hit a bump when she suddenly started having epileptic seizures in August last year.

Heads said she was training a horse out in the paddock and felt something was not right.

“I was just back from working a young trotter, was just getting the saddle off and I just dropped. I had a friend there at the time, so I was very lucky. I’m still not out of the woods. The Doctors still don’t know what’s causing it which is a bit frustrating,” she said.

She spent three days in Southland Hospital before being airlifted to Dunedin Hospital.

She should have been playing for the Southland Storm in the national D-League Basketball tournament in Auckland but instead ended up lying in a hospital bed.

The road to recovery has been slow and she’s been unable to work fulltime.

“I’m medically retired from work at Fonterra so I’m just doing a few horses, help a neighbour with her horses and take it easy.”

Winning at the Wyndham meeting last Thursday with Lou’s Deal (Sweet Lou) certainly gave Heads and welcome boost and was special because her grandmother has died a few days before hand.

In all Rebecca has trained four winners over four seasons from 2020. All of her wins have been Lou’s Deal with the first at Omakau in January 2022.

She bought the gelding off the Gavelhouse website after he was initially trained by Nathan Williamson.

“I rang Nathan about him, and he said there was nothing wrong with him he just needed time and I had all the time in the world. The farm is quite hilly, and Dad (Bill) had a lot of luck and success strengthening up horses on our hills.”

Heads says Lou’s Deal was weak when he first arrived but now, he’s developed.

“Working for Nigel McGrath gave you a sense of what a nice horse felt like and I just knew that once he strengthened up and developed, he’d be alright.”

Rebecca lives at home with her mother Janine and her partner Bruce McDonough on a 250 acre property at Waimumu which her parents bought in 2004.

“It’s a family affair looking after the farm. My sister Laura does quite a lot of work on it. At the moment were lambing so Chris Keeler doing a lot of work. Bruce owns Lou’s Deal, so he’s been a nice horse for a first time owner.”

The property has a 750 metre training track.

“There’s a bit of hill up the back straight which is quite nice for the horses. Dad made a couple of paddocks into grass tracks. In the summer I spend more time with the racehorses using those tracks.”

Rebecca grew up around horse. Her father was a successful trainer.

He trained 107 winners between 1991 and 2017, 67 of which were trotters.

At the top of the list of his winners is Night Allowance (Knowing Bret) which nine for Heads, one for Patrick O’Reilly and six for Roy and Barry Purdon. His biggest win was in the 1993 Interdominion Trotting Final. Other good horses for Bill have been King Galleon (King Conch) six wins, Star Friendship (Iraklis) five wins and Zeal (Gee Whiz 11) five wins. He also trained Sundon’s Way (Sundon) to win two races. He when on to win fifteen, thirteen for Mark Purdon.

“Dad had seven open class trotters through the barn. Not bad for someone that was mainly a hobby trainer.”

But Bill has given up training and now drives stock trucks in Kurow.

“He’d had enough and got kicked by one. He’s got a share in the three year old trotter I’ve got called Time Is Precious (One Over Da Moon). We’re looking at the Tuapeka meeting for him.”

Rebecca was educated at St Peter’s College in Gore and Menzie’s College in Wyndham and always had a love for horse.

“I probably was sitting on the side of the shaft with Dad, and he probably let me drive for a lap when I was a kid. I think my first actual drive was on a two year old trotter owned by Neil Munro up at Balfour when dad was working up there.”

While still at school she got involved with Kidz Kartz.

“Kidz Kartz was just kicking off in Southland. Kirsty Adams was helping dad at the time, and she was quite involved. I had a good pony named after one of Dad’s good trotters Night Allowance. I won the New Zealand Cup prelude with him so that was memorable. I think the racehorses though are a lot easier to drive than the ponies.”

The calling came for her to get more into the big carts.

“I was at Menzies College for about two years, but I didn’t stay for all of that last year because I got a job at James Rattray’s in Australia, and I was there for three months. I actually got my junior driver’s license over there.”

Rattray trained Ignatius (Roll With Joe) at the time and Beau Tide was retired in a paddock near the stables.

Ignatius won sixteen of his first seventeen starts and at the end of his career had won thirty seven races including three Group Ones and $750, 213.

Beautide (Bettor’s Delight) won over two million dollars and forty nine races including two Interdominion Finals and a Miracle Mile.

When she finished her stint at Rattrays she returned to New Zealand and worked for Amber Hoffman for six months.

“Then a job at Nigel McGrath’s came up and I thought it would be a good opportunity to work with some nice horses. He was always one person I wanted to go and learn off because I always thought his horses looked exceptional on race day.”

As a junior driver Rebecca drove her first winner for McGrath, He’s A Ladies Man (Auckland Reactor) at Rangiora in August 2019.

“He was bred by mum and dad. He took a bit to work out. He couldn’t do any work during the race. I ended up winning another race on him at Methven.”

Rebecca currently has four horses in work Lou’s Deal, Franco Cornel (Bettor’s Delight), Love On The Hill (What The Hill) and Time Is Precious.

Love On The Hill is out of Sundon mare Bet Pray Love who’s a half-sister to Majestic Man (24 wins) and Majestic Love (5 wins) and a full sister to Sol Invictus (11 wins).

Rebecca’s race day colours are familiar too. They belonged to her father.

“I don’t think he’ll get his license again. There’s more chance of me running a marathon that him getting a license. It’s quite special having his colours. I’ve always liked them.”

And although he doesn’t own the colours anymore, Bill is still lingering in the background offering sound advice.

“Dad’s always given his two cents worth especially when I was driving. He was full of advice. If you’ve got a question about training dad’s always there especially around training on the hills.”

She said she also learnt a lot when she was at Nigel McGrath’s, Amber Hoffmans and Brent and Tim Whites.

Outside of harness racing Rebecca says sport has been a big part of her life.

“I played rep Netball and Basketball. My Achilles was starting to jar up a bit playing netball with all the stop starting. I had to choose between the two sports, so I chose Basketball because I enjoyed it a bit more. Hopefully by health comes back so I can play a bit more one day.”

Mother Janine and her partner Bruce has also been very supportive of Rebecca.

“I’m very thankful to her for letting me train on the farm. I’d love to take on more horses because I’m really enjoying the training side of it. It’s hard when you’re starting out to get new owners.”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink