Thornley captures first G1 in NZ Oaks thriller

Olivia Thornley is one of New Zealand harness racing’s rising stars, and today she tasted success on the big stage with a G1 winning drive that won’t be forgotten any time soon.

Having just crossed the line victorious in the G1 $175,000 New Zealand Pacing Oaks, Thornley did well to raise her arm and salute the Addington Raceway crowd after holding on for dear life for most of the 2600m journey.

That was thanks to the very green but very talented No Matter Wat (A Rocknroll Dance), who, despite over-racing for the majority of the trip, still found enough in the reserves at the business end to announce her arrival on the grandest of stages.

Having been sent forward early from barrier three, Thornley struggled to find any equilibrium with No Matter Wat, who, after being given her head, decided she was in no mood to listen despite the encouraging hands of her young junior driver.

As a result, the G1 fillies feature changed complexion dramatically with odds on favourite and stablemate, True Fantasy (Bettor’s Delight) forced to lead the chasing pack up outside the trailing (if you could even say that) Fernleigh Blackbird (He’s Watching).

With a lap and a half to run, Thornley and No Matter Wat were six lengths clear of the rest of the field who by the winning post had cut the margin to a length with Thornley now leaning far enough back in the sulky to be mistaken with a North American driver.

The ferocious tempo being set up front made it hard for any of the chasing pack to do anything but just that, chase. And with no mid race moves, No Matter Wat found herself surging clear once more down the back straight a final time.

400m from home, Thornley and No Matter Wat had a length and a half between themselves, and the Robert and Jenna Dunn trained Dance Til Dawn, who having done little work behind Fernleigh Blackbird, loomed large after finding clear air.

The Stonewall Stud trained Obsession (Captaintreacherous) had been on the Dunn runners back and ducked back to the inside and along with race favourite, True Fantasy, set about chasing down the audacious front running leader.

With No Matter Wat out on her feet and throwing in some fancy footwork, Thornley called on all of her big race experience accumulated over the last few seasons of driving for the All Stars and somehow guided her charge home to an unlikely New Zealand Oaks victory.

NO MATTER WAT REPLAY

“It means a lot; I’ve been trying my whole career to get a Group One for the team, and I was a bit concerned with the way she pulled but I was wrapped that she kept trucking,” said Olivia Thornley post race.

“I was always going to go forward and have a look for the front as she is like her sister (Manhattan) where she is best out on front and rolling but I never expected her to get that keen.

“I knew I had put a bit of a gap on the field, and I was just trying to get her to come back to me, but I was also conscious of not wanting to choke her off at the same time so I just kept her rolling because I just knew she would keep on trucking.

“She still had more in the tank and as I said, because she had put a bit of a gap on them, fortunately the fancy steps in the run home didn’t matter too much in the end.

“I weigh about 48kg, and to be fair I was just along for the ride and trying to find that happy medium. I thought I was a show of getting a placing but didn’t know if she was quite good enough to win it, but she showed her worth today,” she said.

“It’s a massive thrill, and working for Mark, Nat and Hayden is what you dream of so to get the G1 was a massive and I was just wrapped to get the win. It doesn’t get better than that, especially in the All Stars colours.

Thornley doesnt have to look far for role models in the barn on workday and with the world’s best female driver to draw upon in times of need, it doesn’t get much better than having Natalie Rasmussen in one’s corner.

Despite being outpointed in what would have been her fifth New Zealand Oaks behind favourite True Fantasy, it was clear Rasmussen was delighted with the result for her budding protege.

“It was the first of many for Liv I think, she is driving super, and all the horses go great for her and she’s a great kid. Just a lovely person to have in our barn and I’m just thrilled to bits for her,” said Rasmussen.

“The kids, they need an opportunity and for the owners to put them on in big races like this, a big thanks must go to them as well. But Olivia doesn’t do many things wrong, she is still learning, and the horses run for her, and she’s kind to them so like I said, first of many, I think,” she said.

Michael Purdon was on hand as the co-owner of the New Zealand Oaks winner who he races in partnership with Brian West.

Having nearly snagged a G1 in the Trotting Derby an hour or so earlier with Mystic Max, it was a fitting conclusion to a great day of G1 racing for Purdon.

“First G1 as an owner, very exciting. I just missed out on my first G1 training win earlier in the day, but this was great,” he said.

“She’s a tough filly with speed, I thought she might have latched on a bit much over the 2600m, but she showed she was the better filly on the day.

“Everybody has put a lot of work into this filly, she hasn’t been the easiest to train, but has rewarded us all today,” he said.

No Matter Wat’s winning time of 3:08.8 was just outside the race record for the G1 feature which was set in 2019 by Princess Tiffany (3:08.2).

The New Zealand Oaks triumph was the seventh on end for the all-conquering All Stars barn who have won eight of the last ten installments. It was also their fifth G1 winner for the inaugral Grand Prix Day at Addington Raceway and saw the stable surge into the lead of the national training premiership with just three weeks left to run in the season.