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2009 GARRY THOMPSON/ FRED SHAW SOLICITORS NZ TROTTING CHAMPIONSHIP

One Over Kenny won the 29th race of her career when she took out the $100,000 Garry Thompson/ Fred Shaw Solicitors NZ Trotting Championship at Addington last Friday night. The great mare led for the last half of the 2600m mobile event, and after reeling off a 57.9 half she won it ever so easily by nearly a length in 3.16.7. Amazingly, it was her fifth Group 1 victory on New Zealand soil.

"It just shows you how good Stig is," trainer/driver Tony Herilhy said afterwards, referring to how dominant the latter had been over his mare in their last two clashes this year. "You never like to see good horses injured, but we were just pleased to be there (Addington) ourselves and we'll take it."

It was also satisying for Herlihy because it proved the One Over Kenny was back to her best again after a 'failed' Inter-Dominion campaign across the Tasman, which he put down to her being sick and not being "half the horse" she normally is. "She definitely seems to have come up a lot stronger this time as well," he said.

Herlihy used to believe that One Over Kenny trotted better the Auckland way round, but she has had a Murphy Blind added to her armoury since the Flying Stakes victory at Cambridge on January 2 and now he is not so sure there is any difference at all.

The 7-year-old Sundon mare will be shooting for victory number 30 when she steps out again in Auckland a week before the Rowe Cup, and then it is onto the big one itself as she attempts to emulate her win of two years ago.

Credit: John Robinson writing in HR Weekly 8Apr09

Bev, Nathan & Phil Williamson

After a rather fruitless Cup Day, 'Team Williamson' was in irrepressible form on Show Day at Addington last Friday, and are now likely to take a formidible three-pronged attack into this week's $150,000 Dominion Handicap.

And for a while trainer Phil Williamson was considering the prospect of sitting in the stand for it all, not that that was unduly worrying him. Williamson would need a crowbar to prise his 18-year-old son Nathan from driving Jasmyn's Gift after a memorable first Group 1 success in Friday's NZ Trotting FFA, and in a somewhat surprising move, Allegro Agitato will get another chance from a stand after blowing the start in the last two Dominions and Rowe Cups. She will continue her association with Ricky May, while One Over Kenny earned her shot at the Dominion when she was seen at her demoralising best in the $20,000 Konami Trot last Friday.

With an Auckland trip coming up over Christmas, Tony Herlihy had the option to handle One Over Kenny in the Dominion, a race he has surprisingly won only one and 14 years ago with Directorship. But Sly Flyin's win in the NZ Free-For-All later in the day, which earned him a Miracle Mile invite, will almost certainly see Herlihy in Sydney this Friday night instead of Christchurch. Williamson will probably thus take the reins on One Over Kenny, and the stable could quite conceivably run the trifecta in the Dominion with these three quite outstanding mares.

It was almost certainly a unique event to have four trotting events on the one programme last Friday, and Williamson almost won all four of them. Prior to Jasmyn's Gift and One Over Kenny scoring, Lets Get Serious had caused a minor upset in downing the odds-on Tim Butt and Phil Anderson trained Moment Of Truth in the opening event, while the tables were then reversed when Smart Seeker won over the slightly unlucky Blakatak, a recent addition to the stable and yet to finish out of the money in six starts for Williamson.

Jasmyn's Gift had her chance when third on Cup Day, but an entirely different track and tactics saw her back to her brilliant best. Eased off the gate from a handy draw, Jasmyn's Gift had only one behind her in a fairly strung out field when Nathan Williamson set off at the 1800m with what amounted to a 'search and destroy' mission. Taking up the running with a lap to travel from Glenbogle, Jasmyn's Gift would not be denied in the run home as he challenged in the passing lane, and Allegro Agitato finished on out wider from three back on the fence. "She doesn't have the speed of the others, but gee she has a lot of guts," said Nathan. "She just loves the wet, so as soon as I got out there and saw how much the track had deteriorated, I became quite confident. I knew the conditions would take the sprint out of the others," he added.

The 7-year-old daughter of Sundon was well outside her own national 2600m mobile record for mares of 3:15.1, but her 3:19.5 in the conditions was still a highly commendable performance, and far too much for rivals which had far easier runs and the drop on her. Glenbogle rallied well in the worst of the conditions nearest the pylons, but Jasmyn's Gift always had him well covered, while Allegro Agitato had her high speed negated, particularly when attempting to sprint on the home turn in what had become a 'pretty shitty' part of the track.

Jasmyn's Gift has had her share of problems this past year, failing to produce her best form during an Australian campaign and having some joint soreness issues since returning this season to win four on the trot. "She's had problems with soreness for a while now, and you can't keep her 'screwed down' all the time," said Phil. "She takes a torrent of work, but you have to peak her at certain times. The race on Cup Day would have cleaned her up nicely, and I'm picking she will improve again with today's race," he added.

An improved Jasmyn's Gift will be a scary thought for her rivals going into the Dominion. Im last year's Dominion, she did a stretch and seemingly her chips at the start, but went the 'race of the century' to somehow finish third to Pompallier, a sound enough fourth on Friday. Allegro Agitato is also coming to hand nicely, and will be the hardest for Jasmyn's Gift to beat this week if she steps away with them. "She's been going away good from stands at the trials, and the ten metres will make all the difference - hopefully," said Phil. Outside of winning from 40 metres at Gore last march, in a lead-up race to winning the NZ Trotting Championship at Addington ar Easter, Allegro Agitato hasn't even attempted a stand in the last two and a half years, apart from blowing the starts of those two Dominions and Rowe Cups.

One Over Kenny won't be the worst in the Dominion either after coming off 20 metres and sitting outside the warm favourite Tozzie over the last lap. Tozzie had to work to find the lead over the first 800m, but Herlihy had him covered a fair way from home and Tozzie galloped under pressure before One Over Kenny strolled home by almost three lengths over Rhythm Of The Night and Lord Rotarian. "I was getting her ready for Auckland over Christmas - she is very good that way round - but I guess she has probably earned a shot at the Dominion now," said Phil. "The owners have been threatening to send her stud, so hopefully she has done enough to earn a reprieve in that respect anyway. As intended we pretty much gave her the 4-year-old season off, and she's still on the way up now," he added.

But the day really belonged to Jasmyn's Gift and Nathan Williamson, and he had quite a rollercoaster ride of emotions in the aftermath. A flourish of the whip as she crossed the line was soon followed by some tears of joy upon easing up, and not long after there were some tears of pain when Williamson copped a well delivered and timed hind kick from his favourite mare, flush on the shin. He was doing up a cover strap behind Jasmyn's Gift when she simply responded to entire Winforu squealing in the next stall. Williamson was hobbling around and wincing with the pain for a good 10 minutes afterwards, and will be sporting a very good bruise this week, but lost none of his admiration and joy for Jasmyn's Gift after his biggest win by far, and hers since downing Allegro Agitato in last year's Trotting Championship in record time. "She is just a lovely mare and that is not her at all - she would never kick out in her life - and I would have no qualms about sleeping between her legs. Even if I had to be getting around on crutches, you couldn't stop me driving her next week," he said.

Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 22Nov06

One Over Kenny & her pleased owners

Phil Williamson made a bold career call a couple of years ago when he quit a nightshift job and a small team. With his son Nathen, now 16, keen to live the life, and a very able lieutenant in his wife Bev, Williamson decided to train full-time.

He has increased the stable to 13, which is a comfortable number, and one he knows he can manage with time to attend to the little things. With it has come more success than they gave thought to, including a heat of the Inter-Dominions with Allegro Agitato and success by One Over Kenny in the $30,000 NZ Trotters' Trust Trotting Oaks at Addington last Saturday night.
The win by One Over Kenny was pretty much in keeping with Williamson's professionalism and knowledge of what he needed to win the race. "Phil said a year ago that we would win the Oaks with this filly," said Bev.

A chestnut filly by Sundon from Frances Jay Bee, the winner of six, a half-sister to big winner One Under Kenny (11 wins), and half-sister to One Kenny (17), One Over Kenny showed off her class with a stayer's run that started at the 1200m when Williamson sent her round the field. She was as strong as an ox in the run in, beating Petite Sunset by a length. Now Williamson will step her up a notch by running her in the $50,000 NZ Trotting Derby on Friday week, and he expects her to be no less competitive in that company.

One Over Kenny is raced by Heather and Lex Williams, formerly of Waimate where they had a farm, and now in Oamaru where they operate a movie theatre. New clients of the stable, they bought her as a yearling for $23,000, and returned to this year's Premier Sale where Williamson bought them a brother to Lord's Invasion, the young winner of two of his three starts.

Williamson has been a shining light in the North Otago area since winning 16 races with the first horse he trained, Role Model. He then won seven with Cockie, by Chiola Hanover, who won on Cup Day at Addington. This season he has trained 23 winners, quite a margin ahead of his previous best which was 14.

Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 31Mar05

On paper, last week's Southern Trust Dominion Trotting Handicap hinted at being a battle of two stables. 'Team Williamson' had three runners in the Group 1 event - Jasmyn's Gift, Allegro Agitato and One Over Kenny - and Kevin Fairbairn lined up the grossly under-rated Whatsundermykilt and his ever consistent half-brother Glenbogle; between them the five trotters had won almost every major lead-up race prior to last Friday night's $150,000 thriller. And that form stacked up...in the end, Whatsundermykilt pounced from the trail and packed too much punch for One Over Kenny and the pacemaking Jasmyn's Gift after a drive by Shane Walkinshaw that Fairbairn described as "inch perfect".

"After we got such a good draw, the plan was to begin and hopefully lead then hand up to somethihg good," Walkinshaw said afterwards. Whatsundermykilt really is an amazing horse, and you've got to hand it to Kevin because both of them have got such great manners. I couldn't believe they were writing us off after his Show Day run (seventh); he just didn't handle the wet, and I was rapt in the way he ran home that day."

Ever since he first began his career, Whatsundermykilt looked as if he would go all the way to the top. Fairbairn has nursed the son of Sundon and nurtured that potential, and last week it was realised with a victory which was the biggest by far for everyone concerned - horse, owners, trainer and driver.

"Last year was going to be his year, but he nearly cut his leg off when he got it caught in a grill here one day at the trials," an emotional Fairbairn said. "I always knew he was something special this horse, because in the early days he used to give them a furlong start and still run in the money. Having Shane on him has made a huge difference, too. But no, this is very special... you know, you foal the old mare, then you have the horse on the property every day bar the ones when he's been out for a spell or in Aussie. That takes a lot of beating."

Talking of Australia, that's where Whatsundermykilt and Glenbogle are headed next and we'll fly out on December 3. Venturing across the Tasman with his two trotters is not new for Fairbairn because he has done it for a few years now, and he is adamant about the reasons why. "What, should we leave them at home and waste them?" he said. "There is a lot for them over there between now and February - the Bill Collins Mile, Grand Prix, Dullard Cup and Australian Trotters Championship, not to mention the Inter-Dominions in between. I chose not to start 'Scotty' (Whatsundermykilt) in the race that 'Glen' (Glebogle) won on Cup Day because he's not as heavy as the other horse. Besides, I actually thought that the stake - for the main trotting event on Cup Day - was pitiful; they couldn't both win it."

Whatsundermykilt and Glenbogle, sons of three-win Kiltie Boy mare Happy Highlander, have now won 11 races each and over $515,000 between them. The mare's due to foal to Sundon any day soon, her connections hoping for a filly, and she will be going back to the same stallion. Oddly enough, Happy Highlander's first foal was the Greg Patron pacer Jimmy Patron, who Fairbairn trained to run three placings from 19 starts. Six seasons passed before Happy Highlander foaled again - that being last Friday's Dominion winner, who's noe eight. Glenbogle's a 7-year-old by Armbro invasion, and following since have been Highland Rascal (6yo gelding by Simon Roydon, six unplaced starts to date), Glenloch (4yo gelding by Armbro Invasion, unraced to date), Lexie Highlander (3yo filly by Armbro Invasion) and Tossthecaber (2yo gelding by Armbro Invasion). "Glenloch's away with the fairies at this stage, but can trot nice; LexieHighlander has been turned out and is not bad, and Kerry O'Reilly liked Tossthecaber when he broke him in for us," Fairbairn said.

Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 29Nov06

2013 GLENFERRIE FARM 2YO TROTTING STAKES

Lex and Heather Williams were having mixed emotions after the first foal from their outstanding trotting mare One Over Kenny - One Over Da Moon - had caused a minor upset in Saturday night's NZ 2yo Trotting Stakes at Addington.

While the result was far from any sort of complete surprise in an event which was expected to be dominated by the Mark Purdon-trained pair of Not About The Money and Daenerys Targaryen, after One Over Da Moon had gone a very good trial with David Butt driving for the first time at Motukarara the prior Monday, the Williams' couldn't be on had to see it. "We had to be at a relative's wedding in Dunedin, so that was all a bit of a disaster," said Lex.

Things had not gone exactly right for One Over Da Moon in two prior races, with greenness a not unexpected issue with these youngsters, but the small but strong chestnut colt gave a faultless display on this occasion. Butt was able to easily hold the lead from barrier one and after trotting along at an even 2:00 clip, One Over Da Moon held on to score by three parts of a length over Daenerys Targaryen with the rank outsider Trouble Rieu sticking on strongly for third.

Odds on favourite Not About The Money was fourth in a gap of four lengths after moving up to sit parked from the 1400m. "He was overracing - that's why I had to move up from the one-one," said Blair Orange. "He didn't settle at all and can do that, but he'll keep," he added.

Not About The Money's keenness pushed One Over Da Moon to a new race record of 2:26.2, which easily beat Habibti's 2:27.8 from last year. And it wasn't that far off Sheemon's track & NZ record of 2:25.5, set in last year's Sires Stakes in May.

Much of the credit for One Over Da Moon's success was being aimed at young Matt Purvis, who has been handling Paul Nairn's team while he was campaigning Stig in Australia and away for the best part of a month. Nairn only got back on Tuesday of last week, so had also missed the Mot trial. "When they were running along with quarters in 30, I wasn't sure if he was ready for that, but Davy (Butt) obviously had it figured out," said Nairn. Purvis, a son of John, has been working with Nairn for almost two years, after a prior stint with Greg Hope.

Nairn has had One Over Da Moon since he was broken in by John Versteeg. "He's always been a small but stroppy and strong colt. He has quite a bit of fold in his action, but he still has speed and can stay, so I think he could be alright." One Over Da Moon, from Majestic Son's first crop, as a result of shuttling, is an embryo transfer from a time when One Over Kenny was still racing, having missed that season in an attempt with Muscles Yankee's frozen semen.

One Over Kenny, the only trotting mare in Australasia to win over a million dollars, was still racing in Auckland when One Over Da Moon was born. She then visited Pegusus Spur and has a chestnut yearling colt by him called One Over Dover, but she missed last season to services by Muscles Yankee and The Pres, before going in foal this season to Love You.

Williams is excited by the prospect of a chestnut filly by him, but in the meantime, it is One Over Da Moon that will be providing all the excitement needed. He has a Sires Stakes Prelude at Addington on Friday week with the final a month later and then the Jewels. "He's also Breeders Crown eligible but I haven't spoken to Paul about that yet," said Lex. "In fact I haven't spoken to Paul about much at all, come to think of it," he added.

Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 4Apr13