Harness racing every week at Waikouaiti would be ideal for trainer Amber Hoffman.
Not only would it cut her travel time and costs, it could see her trotter Ygritte’s career go sky high.
In scoring back-to-back wins within three days on her home track, Ygritte simply looked like a different horse from what she has shown racegoers in her recent starts. Hoffman, who is based at Waikouaiti, describes the mare as a bit of a loner.
"She hates company — that’s her thing. She hated being among horses," she said.
Hoffman, though, decided to go in the opposite direction. She started doing "jog teams" in which a group of horses led off her cart as she trained up and down Waikouaiti Beach.
"She booted and bucked the first few days, but now she is good."
The change in the horse’s training has her mentally refreshed, which is evident in the feeling she has given her driver.
"She was just up on the bit and wanting to be there," Jonny Cox said.
"At other times, the tapes go and she gallops and there is always an excuse."
Ygritte’s Waikouaiti wins have helped turn around a frustrating recent run and provided the first two victories for Hoffman since she joined forces with owner Gerald Cayford.
Hoffman trains from Cayford’s Glamour Hooves property near the Waikouaiti racecourse.
"It’s just so good to win a race for Gerald. He puts so much into the industry."
Southland trainer Kirstin Barclay also experienced a kind of form reversal yesterday, turning thirds and fourths on the first meeting day into firsts and seconds yesterday.
Don’t Pass I’m Fast won the 3yr-old c0 pace, with Magical Mann in second, and Barclay grabbed a winning double when Grace Burns broke her maiden in race 6. Both winners were driven by stable reinsman Andrew Suddaby and the trio are all raced by Barclay’s major owner, Tom Kilkelly.
- Jonny Turner