‘Sister’ steps out of Sunny’s shadow with G1 Oaks success

Under the guidance of one of the truly great Group One harness racing steers, John Dunn and the enigmatic Sunny’s Sister (Majestic Son) claimed an action-packed 21st edition of the $110,000 New Zealand Trotting Oaks at Addington Raceway tonight (Dec 1.)

The full sister to the champion Sundees Son has been very much a chip off the old block since announcing her arrival as a juvenile last season. Like her older brother was at the same age, she can be heartbreaking as much as she can be breathtaking.

However, in claiming tonight’s Group One feature, she achieved something not even her hall of fame enshrined brother could, and that is win a Group One before the age of four.

There were fireworks aplenty as the field were released at the 1980m dispatch point with speed coming from right across the front line.

The Southland pair of Brent Barclay and Julie Jaccka (Father Patrick) showed great speed to lead the field from the widest position on the front line (9), before handing to Oamaru visitors, Matty Williamson and Aroha Kenny (Love You).

SUNNYS SISTER REPLAY

Back in behind them, Tony Herlihy was unable to keep the Tom Bagrie trained Walkinonshunshine (Creatine) in her gait, with Muscle Sass (Muscle Mass) and The Ivy League (Father Patrick) going off stride in sympathy at almost the exact same time, causing carnage to the back half of the field. Miraculously, Dunn kept the occasionally rogue Sunny’s Sister trotting despite copping heavy interference.

As he did a race earlier piloting Empire City to Group race success, Matty Williamson set about making every post a winner and dictated from the front, stringing the Oaks field out like browns cows while injecting speed through the middle section of the race with Aroha Kenny.

Down the back straight the final time, Dunn set about part two of his masterpiece latching on to the back of the race favourite and reigning New Zealand 2YO Filly of the Year, High Energy, giving his charge a helmet to follow as the speed ramped up another notch.

Where others might have expected Dunn to remain on the back of High Energy (Father Patrick), who had improved with her run and made progress three wide, he instead elected to duck back to the inside, saving crucial ground as they turned for home.

They say in life you make your own luck, and despite facing a wall of horses in the run home, Dunn yet again came up trumps angling Sunny’s Sister deep onto the passing lane when the gap presented itself, with the speedy filly doing the rest as she out sprinted her rivals to claim the Group One feature.

Without taking anything away from Sunny’s Sister, the winning margin was indicative of the steer, with the half length victory unlikely had Dunn elected to plot any other path in run to the line.

“I was very lucky heading into that first bend,” said winning driver, John Dunn talking to Nigel Armstrong of Harness Racing Unhinged.

“But then they ran along a bit which suits her, she got into a happy rhythm and dropped the bit. When I elected to take the inside, i was relying on a bit of luck, a fortunately we got up.

“A couple of times as a two-year-old when we took the lane she ducked up the inside and rolled into a gallop. I know she has had a few starts under the belt now but she still has a wee way to go,” he said.

Julie Jackka was excellent in second given it was her first attempt under the bright lights of Addington Raceway, let alone in the elite company she found herself for tonights NZ Trotting Oaks. Her breeder/owners, Charlie and Ailsa Smail must have had visions of their Dominion Handicap winner, Jackka Justy, who upset in the G1 at massive odds. His half sister, Jocy Jackka (Majestic Son) was the dam of tonight’s runner up.

Dylan Ferguson continued his fine 2023 season with another Group One performance to be proud of, and while he would have liked to add to the Northern Trotting Derby success from earlier in the year, the young North Island trainer would have been proud of the effort from Shez Bella (Pegasus Spur) for third.

The first three home were all homebred’s raced by their breeders which is a fantastic result for the newly minted G1 contest with massive ramifications for stud value being the only G1 for trotting females in New Zealand.

Like Sundees Son, Craig Edmonds has played a massive role in smoothing some of the rough edges of tonight’s New Zealand Trotting Oaks winner, and he was naturally delighted to see the Colin and Nancy Hair bred trotter realise her potential at long last.

“She always had the ability right from the get go, she can disappoint you, but to be fair her brother did that for a few years too and we sort of had to put up with it before finally the penny clicked,” said Edmonds.

“She has been a wee bit frustrating because on the weekends she doesn’t do anything wrong at all which makes it hard to pick up on anything. She probably had a few reasons to have a gallop tonight going around breaking runners, but she stuck too it and will set her up for a broodmare career now which is great for Colin and Nancy.

“Hopefully with a bit of racing she will come to it, we will just keep working with her and hopefully she will follow in her brothers footsteps. I told a few people tonight if she behaved herself she would be an easy top three chance, and thats a big thing behaving yourself, if you do things right they give themselves a chance and it was a great drive by Johnny.

“She will probably line up in the Derby now which will suit her, the 2600m wont worry her and she can stay and follow speed so hopefully she will be there,” he said.

Having seen the trophy room at Colin and Nancy Hair’s place, it was already getting cramped for room after the fairytale career of the once in a lifetime prospect, Sundees Son.

They now face the welcome problem of finding more space for yet another G1 piece of silverware, with the very real prospect of more to come in the future.

The winning time for the 1980m mobile was 2:27.7, with the last mile run in 2:00.0, the last half run in 59.7 and the final quarter in 30.0.

For complete Addington race fields, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink