Trotting master Phil Williamson gets his 700th winner

His record says he’s New Zealand’s greatest harness racing trainer of trotters and today (29th May) at Timaru Phil Williamson confirmed that status when Dwindle Star (Muscle Mass) became his 700th winner and 680th trotting winner in this country.

The win was a real family affair. Phil’s wife Bev owns the Muscle Mass mare and their son Brad drove Dwindle Star to victory.

DWINDLE STAR REPLAY

“What she’s got is beautiful manners. She’s probably one of the best mannered horses I’ve ever had. She’d be the perfect horse if you wanted to learn to drive. She doesn’t pull or take a long step and has a reasonable amount of ability without being a star,” Williamson said.

Phil’s total of 680 trotting wins is well and truly the highest by any New Zealand trainer as an individual or in partnership and unlikely to be surpassed for a good while. Mark Purdon (384), Michelle Wallis/Hackett (384), Paul Nairn (372) and John Dickie (304) are next in line.

Williamson’s first winner was at Forbury Park in 1993 with pacer Role Model who a couple of seasons later also became his first trotting winner. Role Model went on to win ten races including the Group Two 1996 New Zealand Trotting Championship – Williamson’s first group winner.

When asked what makes a good trotter Phil said, “A good horse. The reason why I say that is the very first good horse we had was Role Model. I switched him to trotting after he won a few races, and he was a very good horse, so we got off to a great start.”

In the last seventeen seasons Williamson has been the leading trainer of trotters thirteen times and in the twenty nine years he’s been training he’s won sixteen Group One races on both sides of the Tasman, and eleven Group Two and Group Three races.

The Oamaru trainer’s biggest winners have been Majestic Man ($649,350), Springbank Richard ($403,567.50), One Over Kenny ($372,936.25) and Allegro Agitato ($353,476.25).

He’s won both feature trotting races in this country: the Dominion Handicap with Springbank Richard in 2009 and the Rowe Cup with One Over Kenny in 2007.

He’s won the Ashburton Flying Mile, Cambridge Flying Mile, and New Zealand Trotting Championship four times, and his horses have won numerous national awards. In 2017 Phil and Bev received the Outstanding Contribution to Harness Racing Award.

“That award was massive for us. The family behind us has strengthened our niche in harness racing. When the family came along, we got a lot stronger and when they started leaving, we had to get staff. We’ve has some good staff. Steve Allen has been with us for a long time. It’s the people in racing that make it really enjoyable. My hand has been shaken off today.”

Sons Matty (227), Brad (155) and Nathan (97) have been the main contributors on the driving front for his 700 hundred winners while he’s driven 108 himself.

“It’s a lot of wins and a lot of people play a part with the success you get. Bev and the boys have played a big part and it also comes down to your owners and staff. You’ve got to have people that stand by you when things aren’t going so well. One of my owners Bill Stephenson has had a horse with me from when I first started right up until now.”

Williamson says winning the Dominion Handicap with Springbank Richard is the highlight of his career so far.

“It’s like the New Zealand Cup of trotting. Success in Australia has been good and winning the Rowe Cup and Breeders Crown. We’ve had a bit of luck.”

Over the years Phil and Bev have built up a strong band of broodmares. This has helped to keep the stable afloat and for them to buy and develop their Oamaru property.

“It helps when you own the mothers. There are some strong families we’re breeding out of. We’ve spent a lifetime of building up a strong group of mares and I don’t think there’s anything someone would not want to breed from.”

Today’s win by Dwindle Star caps off a great month for the Williamsons after the mare’s half brother Harry Stamper won the Group One NSW Trotters Derby at Menangle. Williamson always rated Harry Stamper but chose to sell him to Australia.

“You’ve got to keep turning them over if you want a bit of money in your pocket. Racing them is nice but there’s not a lot of money to be made.”

Today’s win by Dwindle Star also edges Brad closer to his own milestone of four hundred driving wins in this country.

Phil says stable star Majestic Man has returned to the stable in great nick and is due to make it to the races within the next month.

“He could race in three weeks if I can find a suitable race for him. He’s pretty forward and I’m happy with him. I’m hoping he’ll return to pretty good form. He just wasn’t right after the Interdominion, but his track work tells me he’ll be back to his best when he comes back. He’s in a happy place right at the moment.”

Phil Williamson’s list of achievements:

First winner: Role Model – Forbury Park March 1993

Leading drivers of the seven hundred trotting winners: Matty Williamson – 227, Brad Williamson – 154, Phil – 108, and Nathan Williamson – 97.

Winning tracks: Ascot Park 125, Addington 122, Forbury Park 111, and Oamaru 48.

Highest number of winners in one season: 58 (2016)

Biggest stake winning season: 2007 ($693,861)

Biggest winners ten wins or more: Allegro Agitato (21), Springbank Sam (20), One Over Kenny (19), Majestic Man (19), Jasmyn’s Gift (17), Springbank Richard (17), Ultimate Stride (11), Father Christmas (11), Lets Get Serious (10), Monnay (10), Monty Python (10), and Role Model (10).

Note: One Over Kenny won thirty two races in her career including the Australasian Trotters Championship in 2007. She was trained by Tony Herlihy in the latter part of her career. She won a total of $1,098,007 in stakes.

Biggest winners by stakes: Majestic Man ($649,350), Springbank Richard ($403,567.50), One Over Kenny ($372,936.25), Allegro Agitato ($353,476.25), Ultimate Stride ($193,018), Jasmyn’s Gift ($164,651.21) and Springbank Sam ($150,935.00).

Biggest stake won in one race by any horse: $138,220.00 (Springbank Richard 2009 Dominion Handicap).

First Group win: Role Model 1996 New Zealand Trotting Championship (Group Two).

Group One wins: Sixteen (including Australia)

Group Two wins: Eleven

Group Three wins: Eleven

Group races:

Dominion Handicap (Group One): Springbank Richard (2009).

Rowe Cup (Group One): One Over Kenny (2007).

Four Year Trotter Championship (Group Three): Lets Get Serious (2006), Springbank Richard (2008) and Leighton Hest (2009).

New Zealand Four and Five Year Old Trotters Championship (Group Three): Majestic Man (2019).

Ashburton Trotter Flying Mile (Group Three): Allegro Agitato (2004 and 2005), Springbank Richard (2009) and Majestic Man (2020).

Cambridge Trotter Flying Mile (Group Two): Allegro Agitato (2005 and 2006), One Over Kenny (2007) and Majestic Man (2021).

Lyall Creek Stakes (Group Two): Allegro Agitato (2006) and One Over Kenny (2007).

National Trot (Group One): Allegro Agitato (2006) and One Over Kenny (2007)

New Zealand Trotting Championship (Group One): Role Model (1996), Allegro Agitato (2004 and 2006) and Jasmyn’s Gift (2005).

Northern Southland Trotting Club Southern Lights (Group Three): Monty Python (2017) and Majestic Man (2019).

New Zealand Yearling Sales Two Year Old Trotting Stakes (Listed): Ultimate Stride (2019)

New Zealand Two Year Old Trot Champs (Group Two): Majestic Man (2017)

New Zealand Two Year Old Trotters Stakes (Group Three): Springbank Lachie (2017)

DG Jones Memorial/Banks Peninsula Trotting Cup (Group Three): Springbank Richard (2009 and 2010)

New Zealand Trotting Free For All (Group One): Allegro Agitato (2005) and Jasmyn’s Gift (2006).

Harness Jewels winners: Springbank Richard – Three Year old Ruby and Four Year Old Ruby and Leighton Hest Four Year Old Ruby.

Important overseas wins: 2007 Victoria Trotting Derby (Group One) – Springbank Richard, Interdominion Trotting Championship Heat winner – Shepperton (Group Three) – Springbank Richard, 2005 VHRC The Holmfield – One Over Kenny, Dullard Trotters Cup 2021 (Group One) – Majestic Man, Australian Trotting Grand Prix (Group One) Majestic Man, Aquagail Equine Centre Trotters Mile 2021 (Group One) – Majestic Man, Volstead Redwood Classic 2019 (Group One) – Ultimate Stride and 2019 Breeders Crown Two Year Old Trot (Group One) – Ultimate Stride.

National Awards:

Outstanding Contribution to Harness Racing 2016/2017: Phil and Bev Williamson.
Trotter of the Year: One Over Kenny (2004/2005)
Three Year Old Male Trotter of the Year: Springbank Richard (2006/2007) and Ultimate Stride (2019/2020).
Four Year Old Male Trotter of the Year: Lets Get Serious (2005/2006), Springbank Richard (2007/2008) and Leighton Hest (2008/2009).
Five Year Old and Older Trotter of the Year: Springbank Richard (2009/2010).

Overall stats:

Starters: 4,074
Winners: 700
Trotting winners: 680
Other leading trainers of trotters: (either self or in partnership – all time statistics)

Mark Purdon 384, Michelle Wallis/Hackett 384, Paul Nairn 372, John Dickie 304, Tim Butt 261, Barry Purdon 261, Kevin Townley 255, Roy Purdon 250, Dave Gibbons 244, Derek Jones 234, Fred Fletcher 225, Robert Dunn 216, Greg Hope 215, Charlie Hunter 206, Jim Smith 199, Richard Brosnan 196, Sean McCaffrey 192, Mike Austin 173, Tony Herlihy 169 Colin DeFilippi 161 and Nicky Chilcott 161. (Hopefully, I haven’t missed anyone!!)

Leading trainer of trotters in New Zealand (Phil Williamson): 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020 (13 of the last seventeen seasons).

NB: Phil drove his first winner at Timaru in December 1977. It was Hajano trained by Dick Prendergast.

by Bruce Stewart