The sky’s the limit for Crystal Hackett

Junior harness racing driver Crystal Hackett is a star on the rise.

The nineteen year old has come a long way in a short time and is currently third equal with Ben Hope, in the New Zealand Junior Drivers Premiership.

In only her third season of driving she is honing in on her fiftieth winning drive – currently sitting on forty nine. Thirty one of those have been on trotters.

She’s driven twenty six winners for her parents Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett, twelve for Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan and three for Andrew and Lyn Neal.

Michelle Wallis was a pioneer in New Zealand Harness racing, becoming the first female driver to win 100 races.

She drove forty three winners as a junior over four seasons and in total has driven two hundred and forty two race day winners.

Michelle finished third equal in the 1991 New Zealand Junior Drivers Champion won by Peter Ferguson. She came fourth in 1990 and third equal in 1989.

Crystal Hackett and mum Michelle Wallis

Crystal currently leads the North Island section of the New Zealand Junior Drivers Championship with 342 points.

Her first winner at Alexandra Park in early June 2021 was with trotter High In The Sky, (Monarchy) trained by her parents.

“She was owned by friends of ours. They said that I could drive her each week to learn on. In that race I pulled out down the back and was too good for them. It was pretty cool,” she said.

Crystal drove High In the Sky eight times for two wins, a second and a third, before the mare was sold to Australia.

Hackett was educated at Waiuku College, completing year twelve.

“The horses were always on the radar.”

The first horse she drove down the beach was Princess MacKendon (Skyvalley). Trained by Michelle and Bernie she won nine races including the Group Three Northern Trotting Breeders Stakes.

“I was at their stables before and after school and every other time I could. I also used to show jump and work at Mum and Dad’s when I wasn’t at the shows.”

Crystal had success with her jumper pony The Dreamer, winning Grand Prix events. She also won a Horse of the Year title in the pony class.

At the age of seventeen she came to the realisation that she wouldn’t be able to make a living from showjumping.

“Mum and Dad said I could leave school when I got a job. So I got a job at Barry and Scott’s and that was when I decided to leave school and take up harness racing full time.”

She’s been at the Purdon/Phelan stable for two and a half years.

“I’ve driven some nice ones in work and at the races too. We’ve all had a turn driving Merlin (Art Major) but not very often (laughter).”

She says Barry and Scott have shared a wealth of knowledge about driving with her and have been great mentors.

Crystal has been to Australia a couple of times and was part of the New Zealand team at last year’s Australasian Young Drivers Championship.

“Driving over there was very different, but it was lots of fun. Everyone bought a different driving style from their own area.”

One of the winners she drove in the championship was trotter Kyvalleyhoneybunny (Skyvalley) trained by Brent Lilley. The four year old mare beat High In The Sky Crystal’s first winner!

“I finished midfield in the championship. It’s definitely luck of the draw and I had a few slow ones. I’d like to make the Australasian team again this year as well. I love the trotters, so winning any group race for trotters would be pretty high up there for me. A Rowe Cup would be pretty special, but you’ve got to have the horsepower.”

She labelled Always B Elite (Always B Miki) trained by Barry and Scott as a horse to follow. The two year old has had three starts for a second and a third. At his last start he ran third behind Cold Chisel (Always B Miki) in the Group Two Cardigan Bay Stakes.

“He’s working up nice.”

Although she doesn’t have any immediate plans to train, she hasn’t ruled it out further down the track. She says she’d like to spend a winter working in Australia sometime in the next few years.

Sponsored by Aldebaran Park her biggest winners so far have been Nelson’s Boy (Washington VC) five wins, Invictus (Peak) four wins, Ilsa’s Son (Majestic Son) four wins and Emma Frost (Monkey Bones) three wins.

It’s interesting that the word ‘Sky’ has been prominent in her career so far. Her first drive on well known Waiuku Beach was Princess MacKendon who was by Skyvalley, her first winner was High In The Sky and her first Australian winner Kyvalleyhoneybunny was also by Skyvalley.

Hopefully the sky’s the limit for Crystal.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink