Three in a row ain’t bad

What’s Cambridge harness racing trainer Matt White’s favourite number? Three of course!

Last night the thirty eight year old trained and drove three winners at Alexandra Park and in so doing, chalked up his thirtieth win as a trainer in this country.

Three year old Over The Top (Sweet Lou) got the three pee underway when he lived up to his name when with a storming run down the outside, he beat She’s In Line (Betting Line) by a neck in Race Two.

“He’s owned by Robin, Jackie, Davey and Catherine Butt who also bred him. He’s got quite a bit of ability but he can get a bit worked up and hot. He was pretty good last night and it helped that he was on the unruly. He travelled well in the run, was wide with cover over the back and had to get round them on the corner so it was a good effort,” White said.

He says the horse has got plenty of ability but just needs to gain more ringcraft.

“He’s got a big motor but just needs more experience. I think he’ll end up in Aussie. Davey and Cath send a few to Greg Bond so he may head down that path.”

OVER THE TOP REPLAY

Mhai Surfer Girl (Downbytheseaside) continued the roll two races later when she made full use of the passing lane to nab favourite Gandalf (Captaintreacherous) by a nose, running the mile in 1-56.9.

“I’ve got a bit of time for her. She just keeps improving each time she comes in. This time in she stepped up another notch. She got a lovely trip and is heading in the right direction. She doesn’t get you excited at home but she delivers on race day which is the main thing.”

Mhai Surfer Girl was bred by Doug Courtman who races her.

“Great guy. He’s a dairy farmer in Otorohanga. She goes out to his place when she spells. He was at the races last night and he was rapt.”

Aptly named trotter With Ice (Sam Bourbon) rounded out the great night for White by coming down the centre of the track to win by a nose with Kings Landing (Muscle Hill) finishing second.

“Bolty Paterson and Bob Butt sent him up. They leased half of him to us. I got a few people that jumped in to have a bit of fun. He got on a tough mark down there (Canterbury) and they thought he’d be better placed here especially in the winter. He’s a lovely old horse that always goes a good race.”

White said he wasn’t confident he’d won.

“I was on the outside, looked across and thought that Gaz Man (Majestic Son) had nutted us. I watched the replay this morning and didn’t realise how close it was to triple dead heat. I guess when your luck’s in your luck’s in.”

Matt White has been in harness racing all his working life.

He helped out at his uncle George Wallis’s stable as a young fella; George had a lot of success with trotter Bay Talent (Count Bay) which won fifteen races including the 1996 G2 Canterbury Park Trotting Cup. He also trained Chiola Chief (Chiola Hanover) which won nine.

Matt spent time with Tony Shaw while he was still at school before working for Brian Hughes and John Green. He went on to work for Mike Berger for two years.

“Then I went over to Western Australia for eight years, working for Andrew De Campo. I drove and was a stable foreman for him. Towards the end of my stint there I went out training – for the last couple of years.”

He says he drove Lombo Navigator (Million To One) in eighteen of his twenty four wins and Western Cullen (Christian Cullen) which won nineteen races – three in the hands of White.

The last stint of his Australian experience was in New South Wales, working for Godolphin where he looked after the organisation’s breeding business. He returned to New Zealand in 2018.

White is based at Cambridge Raceway and currently has fifteen horses in work. The stable is a real family affair with wife Bridget working in the morning before training Northern Harness Racing Cadets for HRNZ in the afternoons.

His father Les helps out in the mornings too. Les still holds a trainer’s license. His biggest winner has was Clancy Maguire (Badlands Hanover) which won six.

Alisa Todd has just joined the stable.

White says he’s got a good number of young horses in his care and has a particularly good opinion of Paramount Kiwi (Father Patrick).

He’s a half-brother to Paramount Gee Gee (Pegasus Spur) 17 wins, Paramount King (Love You) 8 wins and Paramount Queen (Love You) 8 wins. Another half-sister Paramount Faith is the dam of Muscle Mountain (Muscle Hill).

“He’s shaping up quite nice.”

He also likes two year old pacer Jahi (Art Major) who’s had three starts.

“He’ll be a nice horse in time.’

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink