Naturally, all eyes were on Dexter Dunn as his 2000th New Zealand win loomed. He eventually achieved the milestone victory at Addington last Friday. Williams has been able to reflect on an accomplishment of his own. The Canterbury reinsman went into Forbury Park’s June 29 meeting on 298 career driving wins and passed the 300 mark with a treble. Williams and fellow All Stars stable driver Matt Anderson shared a laugh about the unheralded achievement on their drive home to Christchurch after the meeting.
Win No300 came aboard the Jamie Gameson-trained Sauchiehall. It meant plenty to the driver to notch the milestone in Gameson’s colours.
"He was one of the first people to give me regular support down south," Williams said.
"They are pretty good thrills to have with people that have helped you right from the get-go."
"We had a few quiet beers that weekend, Jamie and I."
Gameson’s name features not only beside a good number of Williams’ winners, but the trainer also provided him with his first
prestige-race success in the 2011 group 2 Ladyship Stakes won by Here We Go Again. Williams has added a further 18 group wins to his career tally since then.
His patient drive behind Ashley Locaz in the 2yr-old male Harness Jewels final was the latest of those, his 10th win at group-1 level, His other group-1 wins came with All Stars Stable guns Have Faith In Me, Dream About Me and Piccadilly Princess.
Williams is booked to have shoulder surgery on July 27. His expected recovery time is 12 weeks, which, if accurate, will mean he will be back in the sulky for the New Zealand Cup carnival and in time to drive one of the host of New Zealand Cup chances his employers, Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen, will have in the big race. More immediately, Williams has the chance to land a hat-trick of wins aboard the Graeme Anderson-trained Sweet As at the rescheduled Forbury Park Trotting Club meeting tomorrow.
The mare made it back-to-back victories with a her nine-length demolition job on the feature pace field at Forbury Park last Thursday.
Although Sweet As reverts back to mobile racing and has copped a draw on the outside of the front line, Williams does not see why she can not win again.
"The way she has felt the last two times I have sat behind her nothing has been a bother to her. Last week she was pretty good — I didn’t have to ask her for too much."
Williams rates the Amber Hoffman-trained Landora’s Lassie as a solid chance in tomorrow’s opening event, a 2200m maiden trot.
He also steers the maiden horses Rock Stock N Barrel in race 2, and Flyingmasterwilliams in race 4 for Hoffman, as well as the Tony Stratford-trained Lindali in race 6.
Tonight, Williams has five drives at Addington, headed by Duplicated in race 3.
"He hasn’t had much luck in his last two runs."
"If he gets a good trip, on what he has done in all of his starts, it looks a pretty winnable race for him."
Williams also drives the Gameson-trained Doctor Tim in race 4,
Dream To Reality in race 6 for Robert Dunn and the Brett Gray-trained El Capitan in race 7.
The driver is hoping El Capitan gets a better trip in transit than he did when he ran fourth in heat two of the South Of The Waitaki Series last week. A gear change from fixed blinds to sliding blinds should also help, Williams said.
He will also drive the All Stars-trained Indiana Dreaming in a two horse, non-tote Breeders Crown heat tonight.
"If I get that one beaten I will be in trouble," Williams quipped.
- Jonny Turner
