| PEOPLE |
YEAR: 2014
KEVIN TOWNLEY
The words Townley and trotters go together but Kevin says it is not just because he is such a fan of the purist's gait. "I've trained a lot of pacers and some terrific ones. But you start winning races with trotters and you tend to get trotters to train. It is just the way it has turned out and I enjoy them."
Kevin's career has covered every aspect of training standardbreds but the specialist "trotting phase" started in the late 1990's since when most of his biggest wins have been with trotters (over 150) like Sundon's Luck, Solar Fire, Uncle Petrika, The Ultimate Galleon, Sheemon, the West Coast bonus winner Don Keyote etc. Most have starred in age group racing and that is no accident. "Some prefer the handicap horse but I aim for the classic horse" Kevin said "and I buy yearlings with that in view. If they go on to be top handicap horses like a number of mine have - and I am sure Sheemon can because of the great times he runs - that is great. But a bonus."
Kevin's expertise had its base in his association with his father, David, known universally as Doody. While the senior Townley skills were never confined to trotters one of his first stable stars was Betty Maxegin and he loved the challenge trotters presented. Roy Purdon recalled last week that Doody, though a near genius driving trotters, was also brilliant shoeing them. "He stayed with us sometimes when he was up in Auckland and his shoeing skills were as good as you would see anywhere," Roy said.
Kevin did well at school but when his teacher wanted him back after he turned 15 Kevin asked him "Well can you teach me to train a horse?" and got a negative answer. "That was when I first realised I wanted to work with horses full time. I hadn't really considered it much before then." Kevin drove some of Doody's best at home and on raceday including Spartan Prince and the near chanpion Hano Direct with whom he won several races. "She was by a pacing sire (Truant Hanover) and that seemed to give her a speed edge."
However he first hit the trotting headlines himself with two outside drives, Armbro Lady and Ilsa Voss, both topliners in the 1970's. Armbro Lady gave the young driver a huge thrill winning the 1976 Dominion Handicap a race some trotting drivers spend a lifetime trying to win. "Bob Cameron had been driving her but he broke twice on him at Greymouth in October and he told (trainer) Ron Webster he thought someone else should be tried. A month later in the Dominion, Nigel Craig, a superstar trotter, was in front and when I made a mid race move he wasn't handing up but went clear enough for me to trail. That was the winning of the race."
"Ilsa Voss (trained by "Ripper" Read) was a top class mare too but she was more brilliant and wasn't at her best in distance races like the Dominion. Later when Dad and I trained together I had Amy Hest who won the Dunedin Trotting Cup (Group 3) and a lot of other races. Worthy Adios was another one I remember well from that time. I drove About Now for Bill Doyle to win some good races (Canterbury Park and Ordeal Cups)."
More recently Sundon's Luck, virtually American-bred, was a multiple Group 1 winner as a youngster and later took out features like the Ordeal Cup. Uncle Petrika co-owned by Kevin's wife, Margaret, as have been other stars of recent years - was sold to Australia for a six figure sum and later won an Inter-Dominion and the Victorian Trotting Derby for his new owners.
Sunning won the Victorian Oaks and Solar Fire both the Derby and the Oaks there. Sundon's Luck was second in the Derby but won the Gr3 Holmfield as did Solar Fire. On the home front No Potato gave Dexter Dunn his 1000th winner. Burano has been another sterling performer winning five races one season. "Australia's great but only if you are the best Kiwi going there. If you are the second best you are better off staying home. The place money is not good enough."
Much recent success can be credited to the American mare Sungait Song, the dam of Arndon and Sundon. She also left Sungait Reb, the dam of Sunning who has in turn left Burano etc. Another daughter, Sunsong, left Solar Fire, her only foal, and the dam of Sheemon. Sheemon is remarkable both in performance and placing having claimed a cheque in 29 of 30 starts. "I maybe have nine horses of my own now and they all belong to a branch of that family."
But Kevin has had more than his share of success buying trotting yearlings also leaning towards imported stock. "I am about 80 per cent pedigree. Nature and nuture are my guidelines but I believe 80 per cent of it is there at conception." When Dennis Thompson used Kevin as his selector of trotting yearlings some years ago they had a good run. "The first Anquitil won the Hambletonian, and The Ultimate Galleon won the Sales Final and was up with the best of his age group. Then we bought Dream Machine, a real top young trotter."
But he takes no credit for his all time favourite, Solar Fire. She didn't gallop for three years. She broke-in trotting and never left that gait until one night at Addington when she was carring an injury. A lovely mare - you could have her inside the house and she wouldn't put a foot wrong."
As a mere 9-year-old accomplished Canterbury horseman, Kevin Townley, was put in the cart behind top pacer, Jacobite, trained by his father who ran third in the 1965 NZ Cup and then beat all the best in the Easter Cup. "He was a laid back horse so no worry but quite heavy topped and he eventually broke down as those type of horses do." Scottish Charm, second to Globe Bay in a NZ Cup, was another memory of that era but "quite different, a constant knee knocker on the bends but with a huge heart."
The stable star was the exceptional Stella Frost whom Kevin took to the United States. "She was a bit odd, great with us but if she saw a stranger approaching she became very aggressive. I believe she never followed a horse she could not sprint past. Her heartbreak race was the Miracle Mile won by Mount Eden. She was trapped in the trail and every time Dad eased back to get out the horse on the outside eased back too. Dad challenged them to match and the club was going to put up $5000 but the Mount Eden team declined - and then time trialled in Perth for nothing."
"They had to be weighed then before they flew. Stella Frost was 1150lbs and Robin Dundee was only 850lb which shows what a great little mare she was." The young Townley's eyes were popping when the mare was based at Stanley Dancer's stable in New Jersey. "He flew us to the races at Roosevelt and drove Albatross to win a feature. Stella trained great there for six weeks, but got a virus a week before racing and she was never the same again."
Kevin later sold horses in California. "The first trip was with Wayne Ross when the local agents weren't interested. I went back often stating up to six months. I did well out of it but the biggest benefit was making contact with someone like Ross Croghan. After that I could make a phone call and sell horses without the travelling. Flora D'or might have been the best I took over. She was the leading mare at Hollywood Park for two seasons."
In 1976 Kevin and Doody bought Willowmere Stud, Winchmore, together for $150,000. "We got a lot of mares but none of the stallions really made it. Horses like H T Luca, Nevele Bigshot, True Averil and Rum Customer didn't fire. The European trotter Beau Nonantais failed though Gekoj was really a good sire who didn't get much support. But in terms of the return we got on the land was a winner. When we went there there was no track and we used a 30 acre paddock to train the horses. We won 35 races that season. There might have been a message there."
A great fan of the U Scott line Kevin, in that era, was closely associated with grass track stayers like Dreamy Boy but feels circumstances dictated that. "I enjoy grass track racing. It is different, more relaxed. But if I had the right team I would have been at Addington rather than Westport." His driving career was then all but ended with a back injury. "I was training 35 horses and it was just too much. It was a disc problem and just got worses and worse. I had to ease back on the driving but I also cut the team right back."
Pacers which stood out in this training era, like Glen Del, Jester Dale, Predater and Besta Kara all made rapid progress to the edge of Cup class. Glen Del was from a sister to Steven John and blossomed from the Townley stable winning nine from 27. Besta Kara and Jester Dale also won 9 scoring heavily in provincial features. John Hay did a lot of driving during Kevin's injury absence. "I have always rated John very highly - as good as any. I think with some of those horses it was changing the way they were driven which made the difference. My style of driving was a bit too aggressive for some people anyway but I liked to control a race if I could. Jester Dale we developed ourselves. If he had stayed sound I think he would have made it in Cup class."
Kevin, whose wife, Margaret, whom he met at Alexandra Park where she was on the staff and has also been a successful owner, had his first NZ Cup drive behind Upper Class in a bracket with Stella Frost in 1970. "I enjoyed it until the start. He galloped and lost all chance."
Barbara Del, Adios Dream and Tupelo Rose were three drives among the fillies he remembers. "Adios Dream was a real fast little thing. She beat the colts in the Welcome and could take them on any time. Tupelo Rose was a different type but quite a lot better."
Best of all was probably one he never handled raceday. "I drove Courage Under Fire in his first public outing. He ran a quarter in 27. It wasn't until In The Pocket came here that young horses could reel of a time like that and it was just sensational then." With the youngster's granddam, Deborah Dundee (dam of Adios Dream), Townley and Ross were set to pull off the initial West Coast bonus - but, against all odds ran into later Pan Am Mile winner and a multiple NZ Cup placegetter, Our Mana, in the final race.
A book of many chapters is the Townley story but none of them regretted by the trainer. "You can never achieve everything you aim at but I have no complaints. It's been a great ride."
Credit: David McCarthy writing in HRWeekly 2&30Apr2014
YEAR: 2012
2012 SEELITE WINDOWS & DOORS SIRES STAKES 2YO TROTTERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Mo Hahn leaves for Cambridge on Friday and Sheemon will be on the float with him. Not only are they fairly new paddock mates but they both make the trip taking winning form from Addington with them.
Sheemon scored a narrow win by a neck for Dexter Dunn over Habibti in the Group 2 Seelite Windows & Doors Sires' Stakes 2YO Trotters Championship. Habibti has never missed the first three in ten starts this season. Sheemon has won three from nine starts and only once been worse than third. In their last three clashes, Sheemon has now beaten Habibti twice and Habibti won the other.
As usual, Habibti tried to beat them for stamina, but she was not able to get away with her hard-running style this time. Paramount Queen led the chase and joined her before she was beaten back over the last 100m. In the meantime, Dexter had cut the corner with Sheemon. It allowed him to pinch some ground, and the son of Monarchy was soon up the lane and closing on Habibti. It was just the little touch of genius that turned hope into reality.
Trainer Kevin Townley is keen on getting back to Cambridge, where the Jewels have been fair to him before. "I've been placed with horses each time there now," he said. But Sheemon has the speed to win it, and he's up a level on Townley's previous contestants, Neville Vaughan, The Ultimate Galleon, Medora and Dream Machine. "All along I've meticulously watched every race for the 2-year-olds," said Townley. "I'm not saying Sheemon is any better than the others, but I can't say I've seen any that are better."
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 16 May 2012
YEAR: 2008
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| Alan and Fiona Clark |
From where he was at the 500m, a furlong from the front, Alan Clark could only hope Castletonian was a force in the finish of the $60,000 NRM Sires Stakes 2yo Trotters Championship at Addington. To what extent he didn't know, and he was cheered when Kevin Townley joined him and went past with Dream Machine and wished good luck. He considered Townley might have had a better view of who was where than he did.
By the time he reached the finish in last place with stablemate The Statistican, Castletonian was being turned by driver Colin De Filippi after a surprise win in the Group 2 trot from Gimli and Outmuscle. He was not inconvenienced by the mistake hot favourite Jumanji Franco made in front after 700m, the one Merckx made at the start, and the gallop Pocaro made when making a fair challenge at the 100m. It was deliverance for a horse with no frills, came with no sharp speed, who was simply safe and steady, and was there without the fanfare and fuss of a big stable.
Castletonian is raced by Fiona Clark and her husband Alan, a retired school teacher from Mosgiel, who do the hard yards from "a nice set-up" as a little team of their own. Alan works Castletonian by himself, relying on trials and raceday starts to top off his preparation and give him the edge he doesn't quite get at home. Fiona used to drive fast work, but a spill here and there has pretty much meant her main drive now is in the ute with the jog team. Clark is renowned for his enthusiasm in sending his trotters - because that's all he trains - into action at the earliest opportunity. "I like to get the mileage into them," he said. Constar, a current NZ record holder as a 2-year-old, was a good example. She's now retired, and the foal she'll have to Sundon will be sold.
Castletonian, by Continentalman and the second foal from the four-win mare Anna Castleton, was bought as a yearling for $6500 off Barry Ward, who has since sold the mare to Lex and Heather Williams. "I just liked the way he moved," said Clark. "Sometimes I don't know what I'm looking for, but he appealed because although he was big he wasn't heavy boned. I gave him a show as long as the pace was on. I knew he would keep on trotting when some of the others didn't."
De Filippi, who will retain the drive in the Ruby and wear the yellow jersey at the end of the month, drove the horse to suit his abilities; as he did later in the day when producing the classy Idid It Myway on the fresh side to arrive with a brilliant burst in the main trot.
Clark also has the Breeders Crown in mind for Castletonian, but in the meantime he is selling three yearlings this week at the Mixed Age Sale. "I sold Solana last year to Sydney and Solar Flare to Noel Shinn, and he's done well with Armed Guard from me. I've got eight yearlings in work, and one by CR Commando would drop-kick Castletonian. I've also got a nice one by Monarchy who can run a quarter in thirty, and I'll be keeping both of them. Our four weanlings are by Continentalman and Monarchy, and we have got five mares in foal to Thanksgiving."
Like many with Cambridge in mind, Clark is on the road this week. Fiona and Vicki Cowan left on Wednesday with Castletonian and Trotupastorm. With the untimely death of the Clark's good friend Peter Cowan, it's been a memorable week for good reasons and sad.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 14 May 08
YEAR: 2004
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| Sundon's Luck's connections with the Ordeal Cup |
Anyone thinking about life in the city only needs to talk to Kevin Townley. He is likely to champion the merits of a town and country lifestyle. Now confortably settled in suburban Christchurch, Townley travels each day to Ohoka - a 30 minute trip - where he has a team of eight. He formerly trained at Weedons, but is using the training property of Wayne Ross, who is also working the same number.
Townley has a racing team of one - Sundon's Luck - but six of the others are young trotters, and three of them will soon be tested to see if they have classic potential. It's a track Townley has been down many times before, and Sundon's Luck has been and done it. Now six, Sundon's Luck has been out of sorts since a stella season at three, when he won six races including two Group 1s and a Group 2, and his win in the Anthony Shearer/ Pink Batts Ordeal Trotting Cup at Addington last week indicated the change might be suiting him, too.
"He hasn't trotted like that since he was three," said Townley. "He could be getting back to that form; I'm hoping so," he said, after the gelding stole up inside hot favourite Sonofthedon and worried the win out of him. Lyell Creek carried his 11 years lightly, and was a gallant third, hinting at rich improvement to come.
Townley has not exactly had it easy training Sundon's Luck, after "he packed up racing at Auckland". When he returned to training at four, the horse was all at sea, and raced only five times before being set aside again. "The spell actually did nothing for him, when he came back in at five. He came back in like he went out," he said.
Townley wasn't working on "little niggles" alone. Bill Bishop, an authoritative Christchurch equine vet and part-owner of the horse with his wife Helen and Ben and Karen Calder, was also on the job. Sundon's Luck was well enough to race last season at five, and win three races, but Townley said he did it "under sufferance". "In the end we think it was a fetlock problem, and it looks to be cured," he said.
Townley, who says he has "no complaints" about his left hand that was badly crushed in an accident last season, will not be surprised if Sundon's Luck remains competitive at the highest level. "I'm not saying he's any better than any of the others, but he is a great little racehorse."
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 22Sep04
YEAR: 2002
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Two months ago, Kevin Townley didn't have a 3-year-old trotter. There was one in his stable called Sundon's Luck, but in no way was he reliable, and when Townley floated him home from Ashburton after the Hambletonian in February he knew he had some serious sorting out to do. "He had a gallop that day, just like he had done on debut at Addington," Townley recalled. "I was getting pretty worried at that stage, and remember thinking 'gee, I still don't have a 3-year-old trotter yet'."
Townley has compiled a super record with trotters over the years, especially in the younger age group ranks, but his hopes that Sundon's Luck would follow in the footsteps of such greats as Solar Fire and Sunning were diminishing day by day. It was a long-term plan that he had mapped out for Sundon's Luck ever since the horse had arrived on his property as a yearling, and he could see it was coming unstuck.
Bred by trotting stalwarts Trevor and Vera Allingham, Sudon's Luck went under the hammer at Karaka in the Autumn of 2000. Townley wasn't flying north for the Sales, but he was keen on the son of Sundon and Chiola's Luck all the same. "I thought he was the pick of the catalogue because of his breeding," Townley said. "Ben Calder (of Johnson's Oysters) was interested in buying a trotter at that stage too, so, knowing my vet Bill Bishop was going to go up for the Sales, I said to Ben...'why don't we just get Bill to look at Sundon's Luck for us, and save ourselves the trip'. "Bill loved him, and got him for $16,000."
Placed in the ownership of Calder, Bishop and their respective wives Karen and Helen, Sundon's Luck was soon in the care of his new trainer. It wasn't long before Townley had news for the foursome - some good, some bad. "He was up and running at two and had the ability, but not the brain." Townley said. "He just wasn't settled, and was very hyperactive. And he was too competitive; every time I put him alongside another horse he would go a hundred miles an hour trying to beat it, and fly to bits. All we could do was put him out for a good spell, and hope he would have the brain when he came back at three."
Sundon's Luck finally made it to the racetrack at the beginning of February this year. His trainer/driver took the necessary precautions by placing him on the unruly, but he galloped. Strike one. Then the 3-year-old went to Ashburton for the Hambletonian, and galloped again. Strike Two. Just when he thought he was going to strike out, Townley put bat on ball and hit a homer. Sundon's Luck sat in the one-one at Addington on March 8, and burst clear of his opposition to win with his ears pricked. Then a fortnight later at the same venue he gave leader Tony H a head start of some 20 metres, worked round to sit outside him for the last half, and ran him to a neck. And last Saturday night, in the event that meant more to Townley than any of them so far, Sundon's Luck jogged home to win the $50,000 Christchurch Casino NZ Trotting Derby.
"Practice, practice and more practice," the Weedons horseman said, explaining how he turned Sundon's Luck around. I just kept changing things, and trying new things. Putting two poles on him has helped because that has got his steering perfect. But it is just a fluke that we got him right in time for all the big trots, so we are lucky in that respect."
Townley doesn't hide the fact that he thinks a lot of his latest winner. "He is very good," he said. "He has got better in every start since his first win, and on Saturday he went round the field on his own and led for more than the last lap. You don't see many do that. Solar Fire was a brilliant filly, but Sundon's Luck is different again because he is more of a stayer. That doesn't mean he hasn't got speed though, because that day at Ashburton he would have trotted his mile in well under two minutes once he finally got going. He has got a big motor. I have timed him to run his last quarter at Rangiora trials in 27 and a bit - and he never tires. What more could you ask for in a horse?"
The latest news that Townley has for Sundon's Luck's owners is to make travel arrangements. "Yes, we will have a go for the big money now. He will go to Auckland for the Trotters Championship and the Rosso Antico later this month, and then all going well we will head to Australia for the Holmfield, the Victorian Derby and the New South Wales Derby. I am still not ready to bring him off the unruly and line him up off the front yet. But the day I do, look out, because they won't see which way they went."
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 04Apr02
YEAR: 2001
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| Croker winning the Southern Graduate |
Had a certain buyer put his finger up for one more $500 bid on Croker at the Sales last year, he would now be holding his hand out for a $13,750 cheque. That is how much the Falcon Seelster-Take My Arm colt won after taking out the PGG Yearling Sales Southern Graduate.
Croker ended up being a buy-back for his vendors John and Maurice McDermott when he reached $15,500 in the ring - $500 short of what the brothers were prepared to let him go for. The pair even turned down a subsequent offer on the day, but they are looking the winners now because Croker is going to target the Welcome Stakes this Saturday night before a heat and hopefully the Final of the Sires' Stakes Series.
Trained by Colin and Julie De Filippi, and now part-owned by Colin in partnership with the McDermotts, Croker ended a long drought for both brothers, especially John, by winning on Friday. Maurice last tasted success with Kedell at Rangiora in February 1999, and before that with Kedell's dam Scintilla at Addington in 1993, but John hadn't known that winning feeling since Olympic Medal scored at Addington back in October 1984.
A former employee of the Bank of New Zealand who specialised in rural finance for two decades, John also spent 18 years on the committee of the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club and was the Club's representative on the Sires' Stakes Board for six years. Taking a break from both roles when the three Addington clubs amalgamated, John also had a change of tack following the passing of his father Eugene in October 1998 and joined his brother to run the 200-hectare family farm in Halswell, where they milk a town supply herd of cattle. A Past-President of the NZMTC, Eugene McDermott was well-known for co-breeding the fine pacer Robalan, and he was also the son of Eugene Snr who suffered a heart attack while driving Colonel Grattan in the 1939 NZ Cup.
The mare that got John himself started was Olga Korbut, a Lordship half-sister to Noodlum that he was given a half share in in return for grazing horses on the farm. Taken to C6 by trainer Freeman Holmes, Olga Korbut ran second in the 1975 NZ Welcome Stakes to Fancy Fred before going on to capture her last five races that season. "It has been a battle trying to continue her breed," McDermott said. "She only had the five foals and all but one were colts; I spent a lot of money trying to breed her by embryo transfer."
Since taking over the farm, McDermott is breeding from four mares - Scintilla, Vault (Olga Korbut's filly), Croker's dam, Take My Arm and Shining Cloud. "Kevin Townley trained Take My Arm for us. She went amiss a week before she was due to go to the Qualifying trials, but he thought she would be worth breeding from though. "She has a late colt foal at foot by Caprock, and was served by Il Vicolo." Take My Arm's first three foals are Boston, Barney Bear and Croker.
"He is a bit of a character, ducking out like he has done a couple of times," McDermott said of his latest winner. "Colin has always rated him though, and when a horseman like him says that, you take notice."
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 11Apr01
YEAR: 2000
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| Looking back towards the home turn |
The new, two-sulky passing lane will be in use for the first time at Addington on Friday night, 10th March 2000.
As a result of this, the track has been resurveyed with all starting positions altered by half a metre. An addition is a black and white sighter mark, which gives the drivers something to aim at.
"If the horsemen don't like it, we can take it out. That is no problem," said Mike Godber, the Metropolitan's Chief Executive Officer. He said the width of the lane is three metres, allowing room for two horses, and 250 metres of the track have been dedicated to the change.
This is the second introduction of the passing lane at Addington. It was tried for one meeting, in September 18 months ago
REVIEW:- Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 29Mar00
After just two meetings and 20 races, there are problems with the new passing lane at Addington Raceway. Driver have expressed their concern to Raceway officials. The officials agree, and promise to get it right. They will start with a meeting tomorrow between representatives of the Trainers and Drivers Association, Raceway directors and track engineers.
The issue for the drivers is not so much the passing lane but the camber of the bend and the transition leading into it. John Lischner, president of the trainers and Drivers Association, said the drivers considered Addington the best track in the world "but at present it is not. We thought they had two options, to take the passing lane in, which would have been the expensive way, or come out. This would have meant an alteration to the camber and taking the transition further down the track, to near the 2600m start. But we are not satisfied the camber on the corner into the staight is correct yet. We see good-driving horses lugging down on that corner and horses on the inside hitting the poles," he said.
Senior drivers Ken Barron and Kevin Townley insist the bend must be fixed. "It is going to be a real problem if it is left the way it is when the big races come round at Easter," said Barron. "I am very disappointed in it. You have to physically steer them round the top corner rather than allowing the horse to follow the natural contour and the transition finishes too quickly. It is similar to the one used for half a meeting about eighteen months ago. Anthony Butt said at a meeting we had with the Addington officials that if it is going to be done, do it right," he said.
Kevin Townley said: "It is not what we asked for; it's not right. We are having to drag horses up the camber and many on the inside are hitting the last pole," he said.
Mike Godber, Chief Executive Officer of Addington Raceway, says "I'm not happy with it. I know we have got a problem and it's got to be sorted out.I believe we have the best track and there is no compromise on that. We have got to maintain that standard."
Godber said officials had taken a number of comments from drivers to assist them rectify areas of concern. "Anthony Butt said the horses three and four wide on the corner were tightening those further down and that seems to be an accurate assessment of what is happening. The camber angle drops away too quickly.It should be able to be fixed," he said.
If it is not, Lischner said the likely alternative would be running the Easter meeting without the passing lane. Chief Stipendary Steward Neil Escott said: "I go along with the thoughts of the horsemen. Something will need to be done, especially with the Easter racing coming up. It would be unjust on the horsemen after raising the matter otherwise," he said.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 8Mar00
YEAR: 2000
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Almost everyone expected a son of Sundon to win the $20,000 NRM Sires' Stakes Trotters Championship...and one did. But instead of it being the $1.20 hot favourite Dependable, home bowled the $61.85 shot Castleton's Mission.
Castleton's Mission is raced by the 30-member Trotting NZ Syndicate, and the half of them that were there on the night were still in shock some hours later at what their trotter had achieved. "We are just so amazed at the turnaround of this horse in the last couple of weeks," said syndicate manager Mike Gourdie. "This really is a dream come true."
Like his name suggests, Castleton's Mission belongs to the same family as Sir Castleton - his dam Castleton's Dream is a three-quarter sister-in-blood to the former trotting superstar. The gelding was purchased at the sales from Impact Bloodstock's Ron Burrell, and within half an hour Gourdie and trainer Michael House were getting reassurance that they had made a wise choice. "Ron came up to us and said that Castleton's Mission was a very nice horse, and that he really didn't want to sell him," Gourdie recalled. "And once he found out that he was going to be raced by a syndicate, he wanted a share right there and then. Ron was so sure that Castleton's Mission would win races, and pledged that if he didn't I could go around to his place and have any horse out of the paddock I wanted. In the birdcage after Friday's race he said it was a hell of a way to get off a bet."
For Castleton's Mission to even line up last Friday was a mission in itself. Broken in by 'Coaster' Howe, the gelding showed ability virtually from day one. Set for the four main baby trotting races, Castleton's Mission broke in both his lead-up non-tote races during April and was still well down the preference list for last week's event. "It came down to getting him qualified before the acceptances closed, to give him a chance of getting a start," Gourdie said. "So the only opportunity was to trek him down to Oamaru last Sunday. And after a three and a half float trip either way, Michael rang with the good news saying he had won his trial and qualified."
In getting a start in the NRM Trotter's Championship, Castleton's Mission gave the Trotting NZ Syndicate a handy-second stringer. They also race the Sundon-Pleasant Evening gelding Evening Dash, bought at the same sales on their behalf for $12,000 by Weedons trainer/driver Kevin Townley. "Evening Dash had won a mile trial at Ashburton, and ran second to Sun Del in a non-tote here at Addington. With him drawn two and Castleton's Mission put on the unruly after Michael asked him to be, we obviously thought that Dash was going to be our best chance. And we knew they were both up against it with the reputation Dependable had," Gourdie said.
Up against it, but not without a show was the attitude that the syndicate members took into the race. Their hopes for Evening Dash were shattered soon after the start when he broke, but then so did the favourite, losing even more ground. It was left to Castleton's Mission. Five lengths behind the mobile as the field was released, Castleton's Mission was sent around the field passing the 1000m mark and drew up alongside leader Glowing Gold with 700m to run. Second favourite Sun Del was always going sweetly in the trail, but Gourdie's eyes were glued on Castleton's Mission as the leading trio swung for home. "I started to shake," he said. "It was just how the whole race had unfolded. Not only was he suddenly in with a realistic chance, I knew he was good enough. With what we had gone through to get him here tonight, it really was a farytale ending."
Making the result even sweeter for the syndicate was Castleton's Mission's time - his 2:30.2 shaved 0.2 seconds off Dependable's NZ Record set on April 27 when Castleton's Mission finished 58 lengths behind him.
The Trotting NZ Syndicate is the sixth syndicate set up by Gourdie's company Regency Standardbred Syndication since he kicked off two years ago. Their members hail from Christchurch, Wellington, Cambridge, Hamilton, Taranaki and Auckland, one in Australia and four in Japan.
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 10May00