Ricky Gutsell – from running to racehorses

Southland harness racing trainer Ricky Gutsell had a breakout season last year, winning eight races and driving his first winner.

The sixty one year old is based in Wyndham on a 10 acre block just across from Gordon and Colin Lee.

“When they’re not looking, I sneak across and use their track,” he said tongue in cheek.

Wyndham is steeped in harness racing history, still has a strong base of local trainers and has a great harness racing community.

“We’re all talking the same language. If you want to know something you just ask. My brother (Mark) always gives me unwelcome advice (laughter).”

Ricky says he goes to the Wyndham track most days where he’s often helped by his son Shannon.

“I try to work on the grass as much as I can. It’s easier on the body and I use the swimming pool when I think they need it. Plenty of variety is the key so they’re interested and don’t go sour.”

Gutsell was well known in athletic circles. He won the Southland Marathon six times between 2006 and 2013. His quickest time for the distance is 2-36.4 which he recorded in 2007.

Other well-known harness racing names also appear on the Southland Marathon honours board. Dick Taylor won the race in 1970, ‘71 and ‘72 while Paul Herlihy the brother of Tony Herlihy won the race in 1993.

Gutsell says he enjoyed his years in the sport wearing the Gore or Wyndham club singlet.

“It was good to get out and about and all the world’s problems went away when you were training. I used to do a few middle distance races and half marathons but as you get older and slower you start doing marathons. Then the body started falling to pieces and I couldn’t run so I decided to train horses instead.”

His parents Earl and Jackie Gutsell raced horses and his brother Mark drove and trained for a number of years.

He says there are some similarities in training for distance races and the base work put into training standardbreds.

“The bigger the base you put into a horse or an athlete the longer they can race.”

Gutsell has worked at the Alliance Mataura Freezing Workings for forty four years and fits training around his day job.

In the seven seasons he’s been in the sport Gutsell’s has trained twenty seven winners. His first was Von Richthofen (Panspacificflight) at Gore in February 2018 driven by Matty Williamson. Gutsell bred the chestnut and at that point was training at Waimumu.

“It was very unexpected to be fair. That’s probably why he paid $36 to win. I used to jog them behind the motorbike in the paddock (at Waimumu) and go down to the Gore track for fast work.”

All eight of Gutsell’s winners in the 2023 season are out of the Dare To You mare Insar. She won seven races, primarily for Robbie Holmes and has proven to be a more than useful broodmare – leaving Sobeck (5), Miysis (4), Maahes (4), Insarchatwist (8), Still Rockin (5) and Hacksaw Ridge (4). The breed goes back to quality horses like Locarno (18 wins), Ostrava (10) and Agrinion (9).

“We picked her (Insar) up off social media. She was a giveaway. I remember when she was racing because I used to back her all the time and I thought ‘this horse owes me money’ (laughter). She was a good mare, and, in those days there were no drop backs so the more races you won the tougher it got.”

The only foal out of Insar that hasn’t won is Baltic Star (Always B Miki).

“All her foals take time and hopefully she’ll pick up a race this year once the penny drops. The ability’s there, it’s just about getting it out of her.”

Insar’s best winner so far has been Insarchatwist (A Rocknroll Dance) which has won $84,460.

“She just turns up and does a tradesman like job. She’s just a pleasure to have round. If I had six or eight of those I’d retire.”

Still Rockin (A Rocknroll Dance) is another from Insar that’s starting to put a good record together, with five wins from thirty three starts.

“He’s got a good size motor too and we might have a bit of fun with him this year if I can get him away from standing starts instead of him rearing up all the time. They’ve all got their quirks and like to rear because they don’t like standing still.”

Gutsell’s last winner of the 2023 season was Hacksaw Ridge (A Rocknroll Dance) at Motukarara. The win was the Wyndham trainer’s first outside the province.

“He got a perfect run. Matty (Williamson) drove him a treat. He’s still developing but he’s won his last two relatively easily. But it gets tougher and tougher.”

Insarchatwist, Still Rockin and Hacksaw Ridge are all by A Rocknroll Dance and all seem to go well on the grass.

“I was talking to Insar’s owner and he said she wasn’t much good on the grass, so I don’t know what it is.”

Insar was raced by Les Stewart. Gutsell purchased her sixth foal Maahes from him.

“I got four wins out of him. He had a bit of potential, but he was a bit highly strung being by Somebeachsomewhere.”

Gutsell and Neil and Eaulie Thwaites share in ownership of Insar and take turns in naming her foals. Ricky named Insarchatwist and Hacksaw Ridge.

Insarchatwist is a combination of the mare’s name and the sire A Rocknroll Dance, while Hacksaw Ridge is named after one of Gutsell’s favourite movies.

Gutsell drives more often these days and holds a graduation driver’s license. He drove his first winner Still Rockin at Winton last month.

“Something to tick off the bucket list. It was a big thrill.”

Gutsell says Insar is retired and lives a life of leisure in the back paddock on his Wyndham farm, but he’s breeding from Vintage Rose which won four races for the Southland horseman.

“She’s got a colt foal at foot by Talk Dark Stranger. He looks the part.”

After decades of pounding the roads training for long distance races, Ricky Gutsell now prefers to sit in the cart and train standardbreds.

Hopefully when he’s jogging his horses the worries of the world still drift away like the marathon days of old.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink