Southland Harness Awards

The Southland harness racing community celebrated its successes and achievements for the 2024 season last evening in Invercargill.

Captains Mistress (Captaintreacherous) was named Regent Car Courts Southland Horse of the Year.
Captains Mistress won four of her eight starts for stakes of $209,515.

Owned by Mick Boots and trained By Nathan Williamson, Captains Mistress’s wins included the Group One Dunstan Sires’ Stakes Series Fillies Championship, the Group Two Entain Two Year Old Fillies Mobile and the Group Two Bionic Chance Bracelet.

Tact Hayley Jane was crowned Macca Lodge Southland Broodmare of the Year.

Owned by the estate of Bessie Dynes, the progeny of Tact Hayley Jane won seven races in the 2024 season – Tact McLeod won six, whilst Tact Teva won one. Tact McLeod’s wins included the Group Two Canterbury Classic.

Other awards were:

Woodlands Stud Southland Driver of the Year

Nathan Williamson: 414-64-60-56 $1,118,764 UDR .2802

It was Nathan’s 16th Southland Drivers Premiership win, bringing him up to equal the late Henry Skinner’s all time Southland winning record.

Last season as a driver Williamson’s winning drives earned over $1 million in stakes. He is the first Southland based driver ever to achieve this milestone.

Donaghy’s Southland Trainer of the Year

Nathan Williamson: 169-38-25-19 $759,932 UDR .3445

Nathan won his first Group One race as a trainer at Addington when Captains Mistress won the G1 Dunstan Sires’ Stakes Series Fillies Championship on Show Day.

Monica Toretto Photography Achievement of the Year

Gay McClymont, Craig Ferguson, Trevor Proctor and Diane Dynes, Judy Dillon, Todd and Fleur Anderson, Tom Kilkelly and Nathan Williamson were all nominated and recognised in this category.

As an owner Judy Dillon won ten races in the 2024 season – four with Judaque and Sherwood Maggie and two with Rylan Charlie.

Judaque and Rylan Charlie both won on the same day at Gore on the 22nd August.

Gore trainer Gay McClymont was recognised for winning two races on the same night at Addington.

Her notable double came on a Premier night at Addington on 29th November when half-sisters Rata and Styrax whom she bred, won.

The win in the Group Two Grand Duchess Mares Handicap by Rata was McClymont’s biggest win as a trainer.

Craig Ferguson drove three Group One winners in the 2024 season – Marketplace (2) and We Walk By Faith.

He was also the leading UDR driver at Addington and for the first time in a single season his winning drives earned over $1 million in stakes.

Trevor Proctor and Diane Dynes owned and trained Tact McLeod which won the Group Two Canterbury Classic and ran in the 2024 New Zealand Cup.

Imaginary Bet owned by Central Southland breeders Todd and Fleur Anderson produced progeny who won eighteen races and earned $1,176,403 in the 2024 season – Merlin $873,982, Captains Mistress $209,515, Magician $51,912 and Durrant $40,994.

Captain’s Mistress and Merlin both won Group One races on the same day on Show Day at Addington.

Tom Kilkelly as an owner, recorded his 200th winner in the 2024 season.

Southland driver Nathan Williamson won his first Group One race as a trainer when Captain’s Mistress won the Group One Dunstan Sires’ Stakes Series Fillies Championship.

Vetsouth Southland Junior Driver of the Year

Hayden Douglas in his breakout season as a junior driver, won the Southland Junior Drivers Premiership with 13 winners.

The Caduceus Club Trotter of the Year

Blithe trained by Lyndon Bond.

Southern Standardbred Breeders Association Fastest Mile Rate Filly/Mare

Advance Party trained by John and Katrina Price – 1st February 2024 Ascot Park Invercargill 1-55.0 for 1700 metres.

Robin Dundee Awards Three Year Old Filly of the Year

First Light trained by Greg Hunter.

Robin Dundee Club Three Year Old Colt/Gelding of the Year (shared)

Bring On The Muscle trained by Clark Barron and Ward Lamon trained by Kirk Larsen.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink