Carter Dalgety has needed little time to make a big impression.
The 21-year-old Dalgety, who earlier this year became the quickest junior driver to reach 100 wins in New Zealand history, recently arrived in the U.S. to spend a couple months observing harness racing firsthand on this side of the world. Not even two weeks into his stay, he made an impact here as well.
On July 19, Dalgety made his Stateside debut and picked up his first North American win when he guided Chris Ryder-trained Handlelikeaporsche to victory at Harrahās Philadelphia. The next night, Dalgety got his first Meadowlands triumph with Stonebridge Reef, another horse from the Ryder Stable.
āI didnāt expect it to be this good this quickly, but Iāll take it,ā said Dalgety, who is staying with longtime family friend and four-time Dan Patch Award Driver of the Year Dexter Dunn. āInitially, I wasnāt too worried about driving. I was just going to come over and help out in a few barns and sort of travel around and see how everybody does it here compared to Down Under. Dex kind of encouraged me to give the driving a go.
āHeās made everything so much easier for me. I donāt think it would be going as good without him.ā
Dunn, who led New Zealandās premiership in wins 10 times before moving to the U.S. in 2018, worked and drove for Dalgetyās parents, Cran and Chrissie, and the familyās Kentuckiana Lodge.
āGrowing up with him, itās been pretty cool to see his whole journey right from the start to where he is now,ā Dalgety said. āItās quite incredible.ā
Dalgety is on his own incredible journey. In March, he got his 100th win in only his 550th start, which according to Harness Racing New Zealand stats set the record for fewest drives by a junior driver to reach the milestone. Making it more memorable, Dalgety got the triumph in a Group 1 race with All You Need Is Me, a horse trained by his parents.
It was Dalgetyās second Group 1 victory in his career, which has seen him post 117 lifetime wins so far in New Zealand. He ranks No. 1 in wins this year in the junior driverās premiership, with 38, and seventh in premiership.
Off the track, Dalgety in March received the Valachi Downs Young Scholarship Award, which provides funding to help individuals under 35 advance their careers in the equine industry. Dalgety was the first harness racing driver to get the scholarship.
āThat was really cool,ā Dalgety said. āItās not something I expected, of course, because it was such a big pool of people. When I got the nod, I was just over the moon.ā
Dalgety, who has a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a double major in supply chain management and global business, also runs his own clothing line, Fuego Collection, in addition to working with horses.
āThe university stuff definitely helps with that, managing supply chains and logistics, importing and exporting,ā Dalgety said. āHoodies have been my biggest seller. I made up a couple designs and still have a lot more to release. Itās so interesting, with marketing and working out what people like. Itās ever changed.ā
Dalgety used some of his scholarship award for his trip to the States.
āIāve always wanted to come over here,ā Dalgety said. āMy family came over this time last year, but I waited at home; I wanted a little bit more experience driving. I thought another 12 months might have been perfect. I turned 21 in May and itās a little bit quieter in winter in New Zealand, the racing. I thought why not. I talked to Dexter and here I am.ā
In getting his first U.S. win, Dalgety and Handlelikeaporsche settled in second from post seven before prevailing in a stretch duel over favorite Declan Seelster. Sent off at 11-1 odds, Handlelikeaporsche won by a half-length.
āIt probably wasnāt really expected, which made it a little better, I think,ā Dalgety said. āIt was a thrill, and maybe a bit of relief as well just to get off the mark. It was one of the greatest feelings ever.ā
And it was followed by another great feeling the next day when Dalgety guided Stonebridge Reef to a career-best 1:48.4 triumph at The Meadowlands. Dalgety and Stonebridge Reef were fourth at the quarter, came first-over heading to the half, were on top by 4-1/2 lengths in the stretch and won by 1-1/2 lengths.
STONEBRIDGE REEF REPLAY
āHe just felt so good I thought Iād get him out on the front,ā Dalgety said. āAs soon as he got the lead he just swelled up and found another gear. He was flicking his ears around the last turn and just exploded up the straight. There wasnāt a real point where I thought I had it (won), but I thought the way he felt that he would have been hard to chase down. As soon as they got close, he just kept kicking. It was amazing, really.
āFor any harness boy in the world, you watch The Meadowlands, and to get a drive there was absolutely amazing in the first place,ā Dalgety said. āBut then to win like that, it was a dream come true.ā
Dalgety has 10 drives over the next several days ā eight at Harrahās Philadelphia and two at The Meadowlands. He also has been busy at qualifiers, driving horses for trainers such as Ron Burke, Andrew Harris, Nifty Norman, Brett Pelling, and Linda Toscano.
āNobody really knows me at all, and for them to put me on their horses is pretty cool,ā Dalgety said. āI just hope that I can repay them.ā
Dalgety expects to stay in the U.S. for about another six weeks, then return to New Zealand as some of his horses there return from layoffs. In the meantime, he will soak up the experience here.
āItās been a dream start,ā Dalgety said. āI just got to keep riding the wave.ā
by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA