Stuart wins with Moonlite

Former southlander Andrew Stuart ventured home yesterday and enjoyed success with Moonlite Dream (Always B Miki) who won the $25,000 Diamond Creek Farm/SBSR Robin Dundee Crown at the Ascot Park harness racing meeting.

Driver Blair Orange got a nice sit behind pacemaker Joanie Magic and once in the home straight Moonlite Dream powered up the passing lane to beat Joanie Magic by half a length, running the 1700 metres in 2-03.4.

Owned by Shane Kirwan of Wibble Holdings Limited, Moonlite Dream is out of quality mare Miss Moonlite (Christian Cullen) which won thirteen races for Stuart.

“Shane bought the mare at the sales and dropped her off at home. The first impressions weren’t that great but she ended up being the best horse I’ve had. She won a Breeders Crown in Australia, and we had a lot of fun,” Stuart said.

Three of her first foals won races for the Stuart/Kirwan partnership before she was sold to Australia.”

“He (Kirwan) puts a lot on money into the game and knows how hard it is, but he’s been a bloody loyal owner over the years.”

Andrew added that racing Moonlite Dream hasn’t been all plain sailing.

“She split a pastern last year so she’s got three screws in her leg, and it’s taken a bit to get her back and organised. She’s just getting her head around it (racing) now. If you look at her form she’s slowly getting better and better.”

Stuart was brought up at Otaitai Bush just out of Riverton and despite spending most of his life in Canterbury he remains loyal to the province.

“I still support the Southland rugby team. There’s me, Gareth Dixon and Styx McRae. We’re the biggest Southland supporters out there.”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink