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Tough staying trotter Speeding Spur went back to back in the Gr1 $90,000 NZ Trotting Championships tonight by leading all the way and proving too strong at the finish for harness racing driver Josh Dickie.



In last years edition of the race Speeding Spur led and stuck his nose out at the right time to win narrowly and this year was a repeat of that with the Pegasus Spur horse lasting by a neck from a game Sundees Son who broke late when challlenging him close to the line.

An emotional Josh Dickie gave credit to the horses toughness after the race,

"This horses courage is unbelievable really," he said.

"We have had a bit of an up and down campaign since winning the Free For All here during Cup Week.

"I was quite happy to just pull back last week and let him run home, but tonight we wanted to lead up and let him dictate like he likes to do.

"Dad and I had confidence in him and he has backed that up tonight," he said

Speeding Spur trotted the 2600m mobile in a slick 3-17.9 in the wet conditions with a last 800m in 58 seconds with a closing 400m in 29.6 seconds.

Credit: Harnesslink Media, 5 Apr 2019

SUNDEES SON:4 B g Majestic Son - Stardon (by Sundon)

OWNERS: Colin and Nancy Hair

BREEDER: Colin Hair

TIME: 2:25.3 Mile Rate: 1-58.0 Last 800m: 57.5 Last 400m: 28.7



What was meant to be one of the most mouth-watering clashes of day turned into a demolition of some very good four-year-olds, thanks to the most un-assuming low flying missile from Woodend Beach.

You could be forgiven for thinking Sundees Son wears hopples, such is the blistering speed at which he generally does things, although for a while back there he did wear half hopples.

The problem has never been his motor, as much as it has been about his temperament.

The son of Majestic Son has found his groove and is clearly a trotter in the zone, having just won three Group One trotting races in a row.

The path to potential Trotter of the Year fairy-tale hasn’t been without it’s bumps, but I’m not sure Colin & Nancy Hair would have it any other way when they look back and reflect on the journey.

It was in 1996 that Hair bought the broodmare Chiquita Dee at the Christchurch Mixed Sale for $1600 and embarked on this course.

“I’d tried a number of pacers for a start and I would have to say they were totally unsuccessful,” said Hair.

“Then when I thought I’d have a go at the trotters, one of my first attempts was winding up as the under bidder on Solar Fire.

“Around the same time I looked at buying Shaq Attaq as a yearling, but the vet put me off.

“He wound up with Paul Nairn and proved to be a good horse too.

“While I might have been unlucky back then, it encouraged me that I was on the right track, so I then decided to take the long and winding road of breeding them.

”Placed in a brief career, Chiquita Dee was by Pernod Eden from a half-sister to the fine trotting mare Thriller Dee, and her first two foals would prove useful sorts in Kaimata Echo (5 NZ wins, by Jive Talk II) and Top Chief (3 NZ wins, by Top Trotter).

Jive Talk II was a son of Speedy Scot who proved of no consequence and Kaimata Echo was his best performer, while Top Trotter was only marginally better.

Chiquita Dee had missed to Elma’s Lad that season but had another Top Trotter colt at foot at the sale, although he proved to be a “niller”.

“His only claim to fame was killing three of my daughter’s pet lambs.

”Hair sent Chiquita Dee straight to Sundon however and got Stardon, the best performer for him with three wins until Uncas came along.

Stardon’s first four foals were by Earl, Monkey Bones and The Pres and didn’t amount to much, and Hair admits he was at a crossroads with Stardon until Sundees Son began putting his hand up two seasons ago.

Hair had been breeding from the family for over 20 years and before Sundees Son, no previous foal for him has even looked like going early.

“It was unexpected having any horse as a two-year-old because to date the family haven’t shown anything at an early age. That could be as much to do with my previous trainer Bevan Heron who was probably more of the view that you give trotters time, put them in a paddock until they are three or four and then try them.

“With John Dunn it was more of a case of breaking them earlier and if they show a bit then just push on with them,” said Hair.

Hair also credits the foundations for Sundees Son being laid by the talented horseman, Ross Houghton.

“It was actually Ross who did all the early work with Sunny, he was a fairly difficult and headstrong and problems getting him out on to the track at the Dunn’s where he would typically have to be lead out,”” laughed Hair.

Sundees Son is by Majestic Son, who was a top juvenile himself, winning over $500,000 at that age in Ontario, and he has well and truly shown an ability to sire early speed, with top youngsters before in Daenerys Targaryen, Majestic Time, One Over Da Moon, Prince Fearless, Enhance Your Calm, Wanna Play and Im Stately and Illawong Helios in Australia.

Majestic Son didn’t have the pedigree to suggest as much, outside of a dam that was line-bred 2x3 to Speedy Crown, but individual performance is a more reliable guide to siring ability anyway.

Put that ability over a mare by Sundon, a freak in his own right and one that has always had a noted ‘speed factor’, and there’s the recipe for success.

Sundees Son came back at three with a bang providing Colin & Nancy with a Cup Week in 2017 they won’t forget in a hurry.

Having done his chips 100m after the start, he gave Ruthless Kayla the better part of 100m start before coming around to sit outside her and grind her down for a breath-taking victory.

“That was really quite unbelievable, and what John would say is that while he tried to hunt him out early to catch the field, the move that Sunny made with 600m to go was all the horse. It was Sunny that decided he would go then, and that was probably the first of the performances he made where it was quite hard to believe what he had done,” he said.

Not to be outdone, another Hair trotter Woodstone who announced himself two days later at Ashburton, coming from five deep on the markers to win a 1-2 win trot.

“That was a bit unexpected as well, at that stage he was a fairly weak looking animal and very difficult to keep condition on him.

You see while Sundees Son has shown all sorts of ability throughout his burgeoning career, there was a while where you could have been forgiven in thinking it was Woodstone who would wind up being the better horse.

Woodstone took the incredible step from racing at Ashburton in a 1-2 win trot, to lining up 366 days later as one of the favoured runners for the Dominion!

Woodstone is a five-year-old gelding by The Pres out of the Monarchy mare, Gemstone. Gemstone is out of the Pernod Eden mare, Ikantry, who was a half-sister to Africa, and also Niamey who has gone on to produce the Group One winner and producer, Pocaro.

“I saw Ikantry over at Bevan Heron’s stable to be broken into saddle by Kayleen McCormick. She was quite a nice mare and having known the breed quite well, I had a chat to Ernie Knight. She was back at his place by then and went out to a paddock on Old West Coast Road and brought her back home.

“I bred one foal from her and got Gemstone,” he said. As Woodstone was beginning to figure the game out, Hair must have been wondering whether Sundees Son wanted to be there at all with his Three-Year-Old campaign seemingly going down the gurgler. A combination of the mistakes that haunted him at two, with an opposition that appeared to have taken the leap forward in their progression at three seeing him only run in the money twice from nine starts.

“The belief was as much as anything that it wasn’t anything permanent with him, he would get his head around being a racehorse. At this stage Craig Edmonds started doing a lot of work with him in teaching him to be a racehorse.

“He would put him in the cart and walk him round a lot, take him down the beach and just try to get his head to switch on,” he said.

As Sundees Son star dipped, Woodstone’s was once again dramatically on the rise.

A trip to the satellite stable at Auckland proved to be the making of the horse, with three big wins in the space of a month in a manner that had trotting fans sitting up and taking notice. It wasn’t just the quality of field he was beating, but the manner in which he was doing it, showing he had become just as tractable as he was speedy.

“The main reason for sending Woodstone up there was actually just to chase the dollars. He ended up winning those three races in a row and just missed out on Jewels qualification. As to who was the better, I honestly never really considered who might be better. Sunny has always been special to me being out of my first ever winner Stardon, but those runs of Woody’s were a pleasant surprise,” said Hair.

I bumped into R J Dunn prior to the Three-Year-Old Ruby at Cambridge and thought I’d ask him the question as to whether he thought Woodstone had usurped Sundees Son for ability.

He didn’t hesitate to tell me Sundees Son was the better horse. We didn’t have time to go into detail, but it was said with such confidence I didn’t hesitate to throw a cheeky each way bet on the son of Majestic Son.

Sure enough, he galloped off the gate. Only this time he put in the kind of performance he had been promising his whole career thus far. As while he was Group 1 placed in the Northern Trotting Derby, this was the best performance of the season losing 100m at the start and to run into fifth some 8 lengths off the winner.

“We went there with reasonable expectations, we knew the Purdon’s had some very nice horses in. But we knew that on his day he would be capable. At that stage we really just wanted him to trot all the way, but as he did as a two-year-old he did as a three-year-old,” said Hair.

Sundees Son joined his talented stable mate at Alexandra Park for the remainder of the season and gained a much needed confidence boost winning a fortnight after the Jewels.

“The decision to push on through the winter was just around teaching him to be a professional race horse, with no aim other than to get him settled and balanced into his regime.

As good as his confidence booster was, Sundees Son was beaten by none other than Woodstone at his next attempt at The Park after getting stuck behind a tiring leader and getting going a wee bit late.

Their final race for the 17/18 year Sundees Son was able to turn the tables on Woodstone, flashing past him for a fast finishing second behind Lovely Bundy, but it had been a year which raised more questions than answers.

They both resumed in the 18/19 season in style, but again it was Woodstone who was stealing the limelight. As impressive as Sundees Son was winning at Ashburton fresh up at four, Woodstone now had 100 rating points and found himself taking on a field of Dominion Handicap hopefuls.

Woodstone galloped at despatch in the Ashburton Flying Mile with Ross Houghton advising that he was striking the own sulky. That was quickly forgotten when he sat parked outside what was basically the Dominion field and put paid to them with ease. The way he put that field away was unexpected. When you look at the relative depth and the strength of the Auckland crop he was racing against compared to the Dominion nominees, it was day and night in terms of quality,” said Hair.

The stage was set for Cup Week and the Dunn camp decided to line Woodstone up in the NZ Trotting Free For All on Cup Day.

Woodstone was gallant in defeat working hard to find the death from barrier eight and remaining there running Speeding Spur to a head on a New Zealand Record for the 1980m trip.

“That was a huge thrill. John will say on reflection he probably should have won that race. I don’t hold those views, but John has a fairly good idea of what he is doing and thinks if he had of put it to Speeding Spur a bit earlier he could have beaten him. If you look closely, Speeding Spur was done on the Line and close to being in a pace.

“To think how far he had come from bursting up the inside at Ashburton a year earlier to running a second in a Group One, and at that stage it was my best ever credit as an owner/breeder.

“The Dominion Handicap didn’t go his way. He galloped at the start and tacked on, but when he was improving and coming back into the race he was bowled over by Harriet of Mot.

Just as quickly as Woodstone’s star had risen had it quickly come to an end suffering a season ending injury.

“There was no real sign of any injury and we sent him north for the Auckland Cup meeting trot races with the aim of the Rowe Cup later in the year. The boys up there had worked him one morning, shod him, and put him away for the night. When they returned the next day to get him out of the box the horse could hardly walk.

“After a visit to Matamata, they never actually never found what was wrong with him but told us to treat it like a hairline fracture of a sesamoid. He has had a good six months out and now back into work for another shot at the races over Cup Week,” said Hair.

Lucky for Colin & Nancy and to the same extent the Dunn’s, they had another trotter big on ability to persevere with, Sundees Son.

His four year-old season had started the same way his two and three year old seasons did. With breathtaking victories, this one at Ashburton where he scorched home in 26.2 to easily account for an intermediate field of trotters.

Sundees Son then smashed another good field of square gaiters before appearing to lose confidence after a couple of indiscretions over Cup Week.

He galloped when leading on Cup Day with Winterfell laying down the gauntlet on his outside and did the same on Show Day a few days later when challenged by Missandei.

This was now beginning to become a habit, and a heart-breaking one at that.

“It’s just hard to sort of get your head around, you sit up there in the stands and watch and don’t like to sort of even breath or shout. It is hard to come to grips with. There is nothing wrong with the horse, he isn’t sore anywhere, it is just somewhere in his head. I remember after one of those performances having a long chat with Nancy about what we should do.

“If you look at the brains trust that is actually there with Ross, Craig, John & Robert as well as being down at the beach with Greg Hope and David Butt also, they are not found wanting as a resource when it comes to knowledge and skills.

“The one piece of gear that was the turning point in Sunny’s season turned out to be putting two poles on him. It was John’s idea, it’s something that is quite common in the States and it worked the oracle in balancing him up and stopping him from hanging,” said Hair

The first time the two poles went on Sundees Son, he brained a FFA field to the tune of seven lengths with the millionaire Speeding Spur his closest rival.

Although Speeding Spur would turn the tables in the Fred Memorial beating Sundees Son by a neck, there was an initial decision that the horse would not be sent to Auckland for the Rowe Cup.

“We hummed and hawed, but after a few days of deliberating John and I decided why not. He had been there before and it was made easier with the fact Robert has a stable up there. We thought we would give it a go.

First up the Anzac Cup demolition.

“The thing about that race is when he looped the field down the back straight, the speed he showed was that of a pacer. I met someone from the club that night who said he had never seen a trotter show that much speed going around a field.

“As much as he is a speed horse, Robert has always said he was a better stayer which some people might have found hard to believe. We had the issue that he was unruly from a stand and at some stage he was going to have to go around them again.

“It was just utterly unbelievable, the emotions that you have. It was an unbelievable moment with what he achieved. The Auckland Trotting Club were tremendous in how they looked after us and I cannot speak highly enough of them.

“We had a hard time working out how to get the Rowe Cup back to Christchurch. It was way too big to fit in the luggage and we were advised to take it on as carry on. Someone came up to myself and Ken Ford who we were at the airport with and asked what we had won. Ken told them it was a Mr New Zealand contest, and I didn’t stick around to see any of the reactions,’ laughed Hair.

In winning the two feature Group Ones, Sundees Son had come from nowhere to win the Australasian Grand Circuit for trotters, staving off the Australian mare Dance Craze to do so.

Capping off an incredible year, Sundees Son backed up from an incredible trial a week earlier to break his own New Zealand record in the Four Year Old Ruby on a track that was rated as slushy.

“I have to confess that I watched the race again last night and if you remove all the hype and the fact my horse won a Group One, it was actually a rather boring race,” he joked.

Incredible he could describe the horse that once had more tricks than El Grego the magician as boring, but such is the incredible turn around in fortunes for the four-year old.

“It is funny as things go around in a circle, as Sundees Son is my first Group One winner out of my first winner and was trained by Bevan Heron. He was actually the person driving the victory lap in the horse and carriage for the winners after Sundees Son won the Jewels,” said Hair.

Now that’s a metaphor for coming full circle in a story that has had its many ups and downs, but culminated in a day and a season that the Nancy and Colin will never forget.

On the wall at home with the photos and trophies Colin has this quote from Roy McKenzie “In the breeding and racing game you need to believe in dreams, some dreams come true!”

Credit: Brad Reid

The pride in Joshua Dickie’s voice told the entire story - a story that could have panned out in a thousand different ways.

The young horseman knows better than anyone just how much of an effort it’s been to get back to the track with his old favourite Speeding Spur, let alone to be winning a Group 1 like he did on Friday night when claiming the Fred Shaw Memorial New Zealand Trotting Championship at Addington.

It’s been a patient and herculean effort by Dickie and his father, John who have, along with the experts, nursed their star performer back from near retirement on two occasions, each time not knowing if it would be the last time.

“I don’t think I can do him justice,” Dickie said.

“He’s broken down twice, in theory he shouldn’t be racing but here he is not only competing in, but also winning, Group Ones.

“He really is an incredible horse.”

Dickie said there were times when they wondered if it was all too much, but they let the horse tell them each time whether or not he wanted to be back on the track and such is the will to win that he’s made his way back each time.

And for his loyal band of owners, the Woodlands Partnership Syndicate, Kieran Read, Andy Ellis, Dick Tayler and Dave Hewett, Friday night’s win was just reward for patience and royalty.

And perhaps, just perhaps - there’s more to come.

“You don’t want to get too far ahead of yourself, but he’s back racing and good at the moment, so hopefully he can continue it.

“I think a lot of people just expected him to come back and be the same horse he was before things started going wrong.

“But he’s never going to be that same horse, but he showed tonight that he’s still a very good horse.

“His will to win is incredible, he just kept fighting all the way to the line.”

Auckland beckons next for the Speeding Spur camp and Dickie is looking forward to hopefully being able to drive him a little different in races like the Anzac Cup and then the Rowe Cup.

“I’d love to drive him with a sit - he’s still got the speed - but the way things have panned out it just hasn’t been possible.”

With $53,000 added to his lifetime stakes from 20 wins, Speeding Spur now sits just below $800,000 in stake earnings with $250,000 worth of kitty to chase at Auckland.

The victory on Friday wasn’t without drama.
Enghien galloped out of the gate, but then looped the field and looked set to stroll to the lead inside the final 150 metres before going rough in his gait.

It most likely cost him victory in what would have been an incredible performance, but there was no taking anything away from Speeding Spur.

“I don’t know if he was going to beat me, or I was going to beat him,” Dickie said.

“I just know my guy would have kept fighting.”

Destiny Jones emerged out of the pack to run a huge third continuing her great rise for Blenheim’s Dean Hunter.

Credit: NZ Harness News, April 2018

The Dominion is all about the Ford factory.

However, it’s horsepower of a different variety – equine!

For the second straight year, West Melton trainer Ken Ford has walked away with the biggest trotting cheque in the southern hemisphere after his brilliant performer Marcoola delivered a stunning performance to win the Gr.1 $300,000 Used To Me @ Haras de Trotteurs Dominion at Addington today (Friday).

Twelve months ago, the Ford family was left shell-shocked after Amaretto Sun and young Sheree Tomlinson (Ford's grand-daughter) pulled off a longshot shocker to win the south island feature and again today, they were left a little gob smacked by the sheer arrogance and blinding acceleration of their star trotter as he raced away with the 3200m standing start feature.

Handled by Ford's son Clint, it was utter domination from Marcoola.



Unlike last year, the performance today didn’t completely shock anyone because most are acutely aware of the rich talent the Sundon six-year-old entire possesses.

In lead-up to the event, his form has been true and consistent but the barrier allowed punters to gain a juicy price about the speedy performer.

Race favourite Speeding Spur was backing-up following his Gr.1 FFA victory on Tuesday and was attempting to claim the Rowe Cup/Dominion double in the same year while join the other 17 trotters to claim the Cup week double.

With Alderbeck, Temporale and Hey Yo all beginning quickly and vying for the early supremacy, Speeding Spur stepped safely and landed in a handy spot just behind the leaders.

Classy mare Harriet Of Mot galloped away badly and lost considerable ground.

Within the first lap, changes swept over the field with the highly fancied Great Things Happen finding the lead while Lemond was left parked without cover and Speeding Spur sitting right on his back.

The tempo was dawdling with Great Things Happen and driver Gavin Smith walking the big field through the opening lap.

The lead time was covered in 2:08.1.

Speeding Spur made a move around the 1200m point and parked outside Great Things Happen while Ronald J soon followed and raced outside the leader.

The first half was covered in 29.2 and 31.7 seconds.

Entering the back straight, Great Things Happen led Ronald J while Speeding Spur sat poised ready to strike.

Passing the 1000m point, driver Clint Ford made his move with Marcoola and allowed him to stride forward three wide and his run was unimpeded.

And he came with a rush as he built massive momentum.

The third quarter was covered in 29.7 seconds.

With his blinding acceleration, Marcoola surged to the lead and soon opened up the field and raced away to lead by a clear margin entering the home straight.

Ford kept his charge focused as Australian trotter Kyvalley Blur started to charge down the outside but the margin was too great.

Marcoola scored convincingly and registered a margin of 4 lengths from Kyvalley Blur with a further 2.75 lengths back to Lemond in third while Speeding Spur finished fourth.

The winning time was 4:08 – a mile rate of 2:04.6 with a final split of 28.7 seconds.

Yet again, it was time for celebration for the Ford family.

“He felt really good and there was some cat and mouse tactics from Anthony (Butt – Kyvalley Blur) and Tony (Herlihy – Temporale) and I just went for it. He trotted great and showed great speed but I kept thinking they were coming and I kept checking but he did it well.” Driver Clint Ford said.

Marcoola is raced in partnership by Clint and his father Ken.

The last time a trainer prepared back to back winners in the Dominion was Tim Butt back in 2003/04 after Take A Moment and Lyell Creek proved triumphant.

Interestingly, Marcoola is closely related to Lyell Creek and takes his record to 14 wins from 31 starts while his earnings now exceed $410,000.

The next leg of the 2018/19 Australian Pacing Gold Trotting Masters is the $150,000 Inter Dominion in Melbourne on December 15.

Credit: Chris Barsby, Harnessink Media, 17 November 2018

Greg Hope made a scary confession in the wake of Enghien’s New Zealand Trotting Derby on Friday night.

Not long after his rising star had dealt to his rivals in the $80,000 feature the Woodend Beach trainer, who trains with his wife Nina, was already pondering his next step with the dour son of Love You and that’s Auckland.

A lot of trainers might feel hesitation about the prospect of heading North to race a new way around, but Hope was buoyant about the prospect.

“He’s actually better trotting the Auckland way around,” Hope added.

“So I’m looking forward to getting him up there, he’s going from strength to strength at the moment.”

A second line draw and a sweeping move around the field weren’t enough to stop Enghien.

He went to war with the pace-making Musculus and also northern raider, Heavyweight Hero from almost the 800 metre mark and although his winning margin wasn’t huge, it was authoritative.

“I think he could have won by a lot more if I had asked him too,” driver Ricky May said.

By winning, Enghien secured bragging rights over his high-class stable mate, Monbet.

For all his subsequent success, Monbet was unable to win a Group One as a three-year-old, bowing to Speeding Spur on more than one occasion.

Enghien is raced by Hope and long-time stable supporter, Richard Delleca.

They purchased him as a yearling from the yearling sales from stock offered by the late Carl Middleton.

Middleton’s wife, Heather, was on track to witness the success on Friday night and Hope said it was great for her to be there.

“It’s a wonderful breed, Carl’s breed,” Hope said.

“And Heather being here to see this horse is great, she’s actually taken a share in the yearling we purchased at the sales from Another Love which is great too.”

Credit: Matt Markham writing on Harnesslink, April 2017