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Belle Of Montana continued her Australian winning form by beating the best harness racing 3yo fillies New Zealand had to offer when winning the $134,400 Gr1 Nevele R Fillies Series Final at Addington tonight.

Run at a hectic pace the fillies final was ideally set up for the Barry Purdon trained Belle Of Montana (Bettor's Delight - Lady Cullen).

While the leaders were duelling hard early, driver Zachary Butcher was giving Belle Of Montana a beautiful run on the outer and when the leaders started to battle at the 400m Butcher quickly pounced with Belle Of Montana.

She flew home down the middle of the track to win by half a length and beat Kayla Marie who had tracked her into the race at the turn. There was a further 4lengths away to race favourite Princess Tiffany in third.

A buzzing Zachary Butcher got a big thrill out of the win.

"To be honest that was one of the biggest thrills I have had in a long time," he said after the race.

"Sitting on a filly as good as this one and to be where she was with a lap to go aginst good horses and the way she rounded them up, that was pretty awesome," he said.

The leaders ran their first 800m of the race in a tick over 55 seconds.

"That was always going to suit her, she always comes home good off the speed and thats her style," Butcher said.

"She is as quick as any horse I have driven and when they went that hard early and we got a good drag into it, I still had a good handful of her. I thought then, we are a good show here and she put paid to them.

"She is getting better and better and is learning to race and is so relaxed and will never overdo herself. When you ask her to go there is always more in the tank," he said.

Belle Of Montana who has now won 8 of her 10 lifetime starts ran the 1980m mobile in a new 3yo fillies New Zealand record time of 2-20.5 which equates to a mile rate of 1-54.1

Next up for the Bettor's Delight filly is the Gr1 $150,000 New Zealand Oaks next Friday before heading on to the Harness Jewels on the 1st June.

Currently Belle Of Montana has a stranglehold on the No1 position on top of the 3yo Diamond Harness Jewels Leaderboard with double the stakes of the second placed Best Western.


Credit: Harnesslink Media, 11 May 2019

Popular Canterbury reinsman Bob Butt scored the first New Zealand Group 1 win of his career when Lotamuscle downed hot favourite Enhance Your Calm in a thrilling finish to the New Zealand Trotting Derby.

Enhance Your Calm looked to have the 2600m feature in safe keeping before the Paul Nairn-trained three-year-old dashed at him to put his nose in front right on the line.

The victory was the second Group 1 win of Butt’s career, following his 2015 Australasian Breeders Crown win with Conon Bridge.

Notching his first on home soil in a classic race meant Butt was sporting his well-known cheeky grin after the race.

“I have always wanted to win one - to do it in a Derby is a big thrill,” he said.

One of Butt’s first thoughts following his milestone win was to critique his own recent steers.

Lotamuscle’s flying late finish has them convinced the reinsman is giving the horse a cold shot at the leaders, may be the key to him showing his best.

It is the exact same tactic that has seen Lotamuscle win the two biggest three-year-old trots of the season so far – the Hambletonian Classic and the Derby.

“I have probably driven him wrong; because he is a nice horse, I have been putting him handy.

“But twice I have driven him with a sit and he has bolted in – in this race and in the Hambletonian.”

While Butt is a novice at winning Group 1 trots, it was a familiar feeling for master trainer, Paul Nairn.

Butt was almost in awe of the maestro’s pinpoint training to have Lotamuscle set for Derby glory.

“He is just unreal.”

The Derby looked in the bag for the red-hot favourite, Enhance Your Calm, when he pinched a two-length break on the field after leading throughout.

Butt said even he was doubtful his horse was going to pick up the leader.

At that stage, he was more confident of running down the third placegetter, Tricky Ric and driver Joshua Dickie.

“I knew I was going to run second easy. I could see Josh battling away.

“But, with the way Enhance Your Calm won last week I wasn’t sure.

“But my horse just chased him.”

Though he was not offering any excuses, Enhance Your Calm’s co-trainer and driver, Mark Purdon, confirmed what many of the horse’s backers would have suspected.

The horse simply did not lift quickly enough once Lotamuscle started coming at him.

Tricky Ric held third, five lengths ahead of One Apollo.

The fourth placegetter went a big race, after being one of the only horses to make a midrace move to sit parked.


Credit: NZ Harness News, 6 Apr 2019; Johnny Turner

The Aussies have sent shockwaves through the Australasian trotting ranks with a dominant one-two in today's Commodore Airport Hotel Free For All.

Tough Monarch led all-the-way to salute in the $100,000 Group 1 in track record time, with Rickie Alchin's New South Wales trotter narrowly holding off fast-finishing Victorian McLovin, who was a clear second for Andy and Kate Gath.



Winning reinsman Anthony Butt, who arrived on track only minutes before the big race owing to a delayed flight, said he "could feel (McLovin) coming up the straight" but held on to win narrowly.

“It’s a big thing for an Aussie horse to win a Group 1 over here, it doesn’t happen very often," Butt said. "Good on them for giving it a go and getting the result.

“(Tough Monarch) has come on in leaps and bounds the last 12 months. Big credit to Rickie, he’s handled it beautifully and I’m very lucky to be on it."

The result will only further fuel speculation, revealed pre-race by Adam Hamilton, that McLovin's on-again off-again tilt at the forthcoming Inter Dominion may be back on again. More is expected to be known at weeks end, Hamilton said on the Sky Racing Active coverage.

For the victor, the win is enormous reward for Alchin, who invested great patience into Tough Monarch.

Starting his life in Queensland, the young colt looked set to be a case of a talented horse who went off the rails, having been considered unsuitable for racing due to his headstrong nature.

That was until talented young trainer Alchin broke the horse in.

Tough Monarch then went to Dennis Wilson, who had trained the trotter’s mother in the latter part of her career, but two or three preps later and he had done all he could to little avail.

“I had always had in the back of my mind that I’d like to have a go with him if the opportunity ever came up,” Alchin said. “Make no mistake, when I broke him in he was very difficult to handle, but you just couldn’t get to the bottom of him on the track, he was so strong.

“I said to Dennis (Wilson) that if he ever had enough that I wouldn’t mind trying him out and that’s how it all sort of unfolded.”

Almost four years later, the horse that was once destined for the scrap heap in an international Group 1 winner.

Credit: Hanresslink Media, 12 Noc 2019; HRV Trots Media

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

“It seems surreal -but its actually real” -that sum up by Mike Woodlock co-owner of One Change with Trevor Casey and All Stars, seemed to sum up the remarkable rise of the two year old with his five for five win in the $170,000 Sires Stakes Final at Addington.

As for Trevor tears came to his eyes as he remembered his long time partner, the late Neil Pilcher, an original owner of the youngster after he was passed in as a yearling for $20,000

Bought post sale by the stable for $30,000, Neil’s share was taken up by All Stars on his death and Mike, a retired teacher at St Andrews College who helps out at All Stars, was offered a share. He had previously raced a horse successfully with “Pilch”.

As chief admirer and handler Ashleigh said “the dream continues” after One Change, looking headed by Flying Even Bettor close to the post kicked back to win.

Natalie had given him the run of the race but said afterward it went “nothing like I expected”

“I didn’t know how much gate speed he had because he hasn’t be used out of the gate previously. But he had it and we got the break.

I wasn’t sure we’d won. Flying Even Bettor, which went a terrific race came back at us and I wasn’t confident at all”

One Change has now won over $200,000 not a bad return on his yearling price.

He now heads to the Jewels and possibly the Breeders Crown in August if all goes well in the interim.

“He’s done nothing wrong and shown he has the early speed as well” Mark said

“Smooth Deal was disappointing and he will come out of the Jewels on that run. He is going backwards when he should be going forward”

His recovery rate raised questions as well, Natalie said later.




Credit: Harnesslink Media, 18 May 2019; courtesy of All Stars Racing Stables

Dream About Me further cemented her status as the queen of New Zealand harness racing with a crushing win in the Group 1 New Zealand Standardbred Breeders Stakes at Addington on Friday night.

The Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen-trained millionaire ran her rivals in to the deck to claim her eighth top level title in the $100,000 feature.

The win sealed an incredible evening for the wonder mare’s owners, Aucklanders Charles Roberts and Paul and Mary Kenny.

The father, daughter and son-in-law also enjoyed success at Alexandra Park when Adore Me’s first foal, Sweet On Me, won her debut.

The blueblood two-year-old filly registered the second New Zealand victory for sire, Sweet Lou, who stands at Roberts’ Woodlands Stud.

The stallion’s first New Zealand win came earlier in the night, when the Purdon and Rasmussen-trained two-year-old, Virgil, scored in maiden company.

Paul Kenny said his family’s success at both ends of the country made for an incredible evening.

“It was a big deal for us with Sweet Lou, we have invested a lot in the Southern Hemisphere rights for Sweet Lou and to have a colt and a filly win tonight, on the eve of the yearling sales, is just enormous for us through our connection with Woodlands.

“It is a big celebration all around.”

Kenny said his camp were hopeful, but not overly confident, about Dream About Me’s chances of turning around her below-par effort at Addington in the Premier Mares Championship at Addington two weeks ago.

“I think knowing the horse – and we had a talk to Mark and Natalie and we had a talk to Tim after she last raced – we were hopeful.

“It was great to see her do that at Addington.”

The Kennys shared their good fortune by donating $500 to Harness Racing New Zealand’s teal campaign after Dream About Me’s win.

Driver Tim Williams made Dream About Me’s rivals work to beat her when applying pressure in the back straight the final time.

And they were simply not up to the task.

“Especially over 2600m tonight, I wanted to make sure that I had everyone off the bridle at the 500.

“And credit to the horse, she was able to do it.

“She was out of the early burn and she was able to catch her breath early and work in to the race nicely and she was good enough to take advantage.”

While Williams and Dream About Me were about to ramp up the pressure from the half-mile, her stablemate Elle Mac was dropping out of contention.

The hot favourite produced the shock of the race when struggling to keep up when starting the last lap of the race.

Driver Natalie Rasmussen was forced to ease Elle Mac out of contention after the tube of one of her sulky wheels came off its rim.

Stewards found that was caused by Dream About Me hitting the wheel, when racing fiercely earlier in the race.

The win was Williams’ 13th at Group 1 level and fourth with Dream About Me over a period of nearly four years.

Williams was quite clear about how he rates the star mare’s impact on his career after their win.

“I think other than my family, she might be the next love of my life.”

Visiting Auckland mare Step Up ran on better than any other horse back in the field to run second to Dream About Me.

Enchantee took inside runs to grab third.

Credit: NZ Harness News, 16 Feb 2019

11 Group One wins in a career of 41 races is honour enough. Being in the first 5 in 37 of them and never finishing further back than 6th when she completed a race wasn’t bad either. And lets not forget those those 12 wins in a row from start one which had the harness world ga-ga.

Dream About Me was certainly something special.



Her first start and win was in a Sires Stakes heat at two and three starts later she won the Sires Stakes Final and then the Harness Jewels Diamond.

She then went to Australia and was unbeaten there at two culminating in the Breeders Crown for fillies. She went back in the summer and won her first four starts went down to Tell Me Tales in 1.49.3 in the Robin Dundee before winning the NSW Oaks. She did not get back to Australia until this year when she lost her only race in Australia (1.49.3 mile behind Tell Me Tales) before winning the Ladyship.

Three campaigns in Australia and the three leading female Group Ones, one for each trip. Not bad.

If it wasn’t for Adore Me’s 1.47.7 win in the Ladyship Mile in 2015 that champion mare would have to bow to her “cousin” on the Australian front. Adore Me had to settle for second in the Ladyship Mile (to Vansumic in 1.51) on her first trip to Australia and won the G2 Brian Hancock leading into her success in that race in 2015.

Dream About Me was well underdone when her winning streak was ended by Golden Goddess on her return from Australia but she won the Nevele R Final at her next start, added the NZ Oaks next start and was then cruelly beaten in the Harness Jewels flying home from a woeful draw for third

After a warm up win at Ashburton at four she easily won the Junior Free for All on Cup Day before being set for the Auckland Cup. A four year old mare winning a 3200m staying race in 3.55.4 is something you don’t see every season, maybe not even every decade.

“Splendour” went through a bad patch after that. Foot trouble ended an Australian campaign before it began and continued to plague her so that it was not until October she resumed now with Tim Williams

She took time to hit her straps but was always in for the fight and when you are going down to Lazarus by half a neck in the Ashburton Flying Stakes you are doing something right.

But nothing went right on Cup Day. Drawn on the second line and stopped in her tracks at the start she took no part. Ok so beating Lazarus was going to be a challenge but she was ready for the run of her life.

After being fourth in the Free for All she was hit by more problems and was not seen on the tracks again until the following August,

Beaten twice by Thefixer, she took out the time honoured Hannon Memorial and was beaten a mere head by Eamon Maguire who had a superior run before ensuring her strength as a stayer was in play in the NZ Cup going down very late to Thefixer (trail) and Tiger Tara a head and half a length from the winner.

She posted a double at the Auckland Cup meeting including the Queen of Hearts which gained her an automatic start in the Ladyship but was well below her best in the Auckland Cup where the time of 4.03 was eight seconds slower than her winning time the previous year.

But she went out on a high. The champion mare of New Zealand with her Standardbred Breeders win at Addington and champion mare of Australia with the Ladyship. It was a hell of a farewell.

Dream About Me was a 1.50.1 miler and a 3.55.4 “two miler” . Just off of Adore Me (1.47.7 and 3.54.6) but not far off. $1.2m compared to Adore Me’s $1.67m.

But really even being compared to Adore Me is as high a tribute to a mare in modern times you could find.

Splendour was at her best in tough staying races rather than those of outright speed. It may be no coincidence her worst race in recent times was the Auckland Cup which was just a sprint home .She was resilient, coming back twice from major setbacks mostly to do with her feet which were of unusual design. Her limbs were as sound as a bell.

Dream About Me was never the glamour mare Adore Me was. Because she was just so sheer bloody efficient in her work and in her races, utterly dependable, always giving her best, never quite demanding or hitting the headlines she so often deserved.

But her power when others were fading, her determination when others were wavering, her resilience when others might have limped into the history books and that glorious finale -the lioness at the head of the tribe- those are things we will never forget.



Credit: Harnesslink Media, 7 March 2019, courtesy of All Stars Racing Stables

Harness racing 3yo Sheriff has smashed the NZ mobile 2600m all comers record when winning the $200,000 (Gr1) New Zealand Derby at Addington Raceway tonight.

The Nigel McGrath trained pacer ran the mobile 2600m in a blistering 3-05.4 which obliterated the old record held by the Purdon/Rasmussen trained Vincent by more than half a second.

McGrath had three nice chances in the race as he also trained race rivals Aloka and Star Commander, but he rated Sheriff the best of the horses he had in the race.

"He has come up nice this year and every start this season he has found the line really well.

"He ran a good third in the Northern Derby and I think he is ready tonight," he said before the race.

Sheriff (Bettor's Delight - Jen Marie) had to work hard to loop the field on a hot pace and he finally found the lead with 700m to go.

The classy pacer then had to withstand all the challenges in the straight, but lasted to beat a fast finishing Pat's Delight by a nose at the line.

Driver Blair Orange was ecstatic after the race and said,

"It was a great win and Nigel had him peaking at the right time.

"I had a good battle with Dexter up the straight but luckily the coin flipped my way."

Sheriff rated 1-54.7 over the 2600m mobile and zipped over his last 800m in 56.4 with a closing 400m in 27.5 seconds.

Credit: Harnesslink Media, April 2018

Luby Lou after winning the trotters derby

Luby Lou showed she was the best 3yo trotter in the country when she waltzed away to win the $100,000 (Gr1) New Zealand Trotting Derby at Addington raceway tonight.

Two weeks ago Luby Lou beat the fillies convincingly in the Trotting Oaks and trainer Mark Purdon was in two minds whether he would start her against the boys in the Derby.

"She is such a natural trotter and I thought if there are a few there that make mistakes, then she will be there to capitalize even if she has to do a bit of work in the running," he said tonight.

During tonights race, Luby Lou (Muscle Hill - Luby Ann) was beyond midfield early before getting a beautiful cart up three wide behind the stablemate Winterfell until the home turn.

In the straight driver Mark Purdon only had to flick the reins at the classy filly and she powered to the front to win easily by more than three lengths at the line.

Winterfell stuck on well for second to make it an All Stars quinella for driver Natalie Rasmussen and Majestic Man battled on well into third.

Luby Lou trotted the 2600m mobile in 3-14.2, not far off the New Zealand record of 3-13.5 set by Habibti in this race five years ago.

Credit: Harnesslink Media, April 2018

Ricky May knew it, Steven Reid knew it too and some outstanding track work during the week ensured Simon McMullan knew it as well.

Yet not one of three men, who are all more than qualified to predict a big showing from a racehorse, were quite ready for what Utmost Delight managed to produce to the win the PGG Wrightson New Zealand Breeders Stakes at Addington on Friday night.

And some win it was too after almost nothing went right in the running.

Pushed four wide down the back straight, the daughter of Bettor’s Delight and former outstanding racemare Victor Supreme raced away from her rivals inside the final 200 metres to claim Group One glory in the most impressive of fashions.

“I thought she might have been the best horse in the race beforehand,” Ricky May said.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt about it now though, -that was massive.”

Also erased in the immediate aftermath of the race were May’s concerns that the four-year-old mare couldn’t do a whole heap of work in her races.

“She’s definitely a bit more than just a sit sprint horse,” May added.

Owned by legendary owner and breeder Charlie Roberts, Utmost Delight was represented last night by Roberts’ daughter, Mary and her Paul who told the tale of the question marks that were raised when Roberts purchased the multiple Group One winning broodmare.

“We did wonder,” Paul Kenny said.

“But as normal, Charlie has got it right and I just hope he was tuned into watch that because it was all for him.”

It hasn’t all be plain sailing though and there was a time when Reid wondered if she was ever going to live up to her talents.

“She got beaten a lot of times early on, when she shouldn’t have probably been beaten to be fair.

“There were a few issues there, but as is the case with the Bettor’s Delight’s when they’re good, they’re good.”

Reid had no fixed plans for what lies ahead for the mare, but did quip that he might start putting the hat around to get her over to Australia next week for the Ladyship Mile.

The win gave May his fifth win in the race to sit alongside; Mainland Banner, Carabella, It’s Ella and Frangelico - making him the outright most successful driver in the Group One feature.

Sheeza GNP gave Blair Orange an extra reason to smile on a night when drove his 1500th winner with her outstanding effort for second at a big price while American Empress burst through late to finish in third for Jeremy Young and Sailesh Abernethy.

Credit: NZ Harness News, February 2018