Riverton grass track meeting gets signoff

Riverton Trotting Club has been granted final signoff by Harness Racing New Zealand to race on the Riverton grass track at the end of the month.

HRNZ Track Manager John Denton inspected the surface on Monday with Stipendiary Steward Vinny Munro and officials from the Riverton Racing and Trotting Clubs.

And local trainer Nathan Williamson worked two horses, Itoje (Betterthancheddar) and Sand Wave (Somebeachsomewhere), on the track in order to offer feedback.

Some minor work needs to be completed at the course crossing where horses enter and exit the track from the stables, but club officials are confident this won’t be an issue on raceday.

It’s been twenty-four years since the Riverton Trotting Club raced on its home course, when two harness races were run as part of a Riverton Racing Club meeting.

Both races attracted capacity fields with Double Damn trained by Brian O’Connor and driven by Alan Broomhall winning the first race. The gelding paid $61.20 and $14.30. The second winner Glenburn Prince was trained and driven by Maurice Kerr.

Just a few years later in September 1993, again, two harness races were held within a galloping meeting. The winners were Stampman trained and driven by Ray Faithful and Beijing Burner trained and driven by Brendon McLellan.

When Itoje and Sand Wave had their training run on the grass course on Monday, they were breaking an almost twenty year drought since the days when local trainers Bert Wohlers, Alex Jenkins and Paul ‘Tank’ Ellis regularly used the course for training.

The ‘Return to Grass’ meeting will be held on Sunday 28^th January with a 12 noon start time.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink