After starting last term training in partnership with his father, Paul, Mitchell took the plunge and opted to go out on his own. It proved the right decision, as he notched up four wins and 10 placings from just 24 starts in his own account.
Already he has begun the new season on the right note. His only runner at Addington last night, The Dorchester, cleared maiden ranks after being sent out the favourite by punters. Mitchell’s handy strike-rate looks set to continue at Oamaru tomorrow.
His two runners there, Run Boy Run and Alta Shelby, appear well placed to win. Kerr has taken over the training of Alta Shelby from his father, who thought enough of the pacer to line him up in last year’s Kindergarten Stakes.
The horse then had one more start, running into top-class 2yr-old The Devils Own, before getting "crook" and heading to the spelling paddock, Kerr said. Since his spell and moving stables, Alta Shelby registered placings in what Kerr described as nice quiet trials and workouts on his new home track of Rangiora.
Fit from those runs and with what looks to be a touch of class, Alta Shelby appears the horse to beat from his draw of barrier 4. Leading junior driver Matt Anderson is aboard.
Anderson also steers Run Boy Run, who is another relative newcomer to the Kerr stable, in the junior drivers’ event.
Run Boy Run also transferred from Paul Kerr’s stable, and he has had two recent starts in Mitchell’s colours.
Kerr described the latest of those as a desperately unlucky performance at Rangiora on July 23 when the horse flashed home late into third between handy pacers Spooky and OK I’m Bad, who lines up in race 3 tomorrow.
According to Kerr, the pacer has the gate-speed to lead tomorrow and he is hopeful Anderson and Run Boy Run can make their own luck and make up for the horse’s lost opportunity at Rangiora.
Kerr’s impressive stable statistics were boosted by his star pacer, Forgotten Highway, who last raced in the 3yr-old Harness Jewels final in June.
The horse, one of eight with the trainer, has been back in work for four weeks and is progressing nicely towards what Kerr expects will be a big season. Like Kerr, Anderson has taken a recent step up in his career.
The runner-up in last season’s junior drivers’ premiership has left his position with the all-powerful Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen stable and is assessing various employment opportunities. He has one more drive tomorrow — Machie Mach in the feature pace, race 2.The small but select field includes Bite The Bullet, who brings strong recent Addington form, plus Hannity and Leading The Way who ran third in their respective races at Oamaru last weekend.
Tomorrow’s feature trot is — appropriately — a Williamson-dominated affair.
Phil and Bev Williamson were presented with the award for outstanding contribution to harness racing at the New Zealand harness awards in Christchurch on Thursday night.
Their stable has leading chances Sam Galleon, Alderbeck and Pyramid Monarch in the race.
- Jonny Turner
