Team Williamson triumphs in Rowe Cup
AUCKLAND: Ignorance proved to bliss as it gave young North Otago driver Matty Williamson the biggest win of his career behind Love N The Port in the $180,000 group 1 Rowe Cup at Alexandra Park last night.
Williamson wrote the latest chapter of his famous family’s story in our greatest trotting races, with his father Phil and brother Nathan and Brad having already driven trotting winners at the highest level.
‘‘But I’m the first one to drive a Rowe Cup winner,’’ quipped Matty.
The win came via a seemingly perfect drive as Williamson stepped Love N The Port to the lead and then the trail behind hot favourite Muscle Mountain when he came asking at the 1100m mark.
But Williamson admitted after the race he did not know what every punter watching the race did, that Muscle Mountain had galloped at the start and lost at least 80m, so taking a trail on him was far riskier than the 32yearold reinsman could have known.
‘‘I didn’t know he (Muscle Mountain) had galloped let alone lost that much.
‘‘But when he came looking for the lead he came fast so I wouldn’t have tried to stay in front anyway so it worked out well.’’
Once he caught the field,
Muscle Mountain had to be launched by driver Ben Hope and while Williamson did not know he was conceding the lead to a horse who would later peak, the brave favourite got to the top of the straight before he exhaled and Love N The Port used the Alexandra Park passing lane to claim the race.
Oscar Bonavena was a strong second, Eurokash a luckless third and Muscle Mountain’s fourth will go down as one of harness racing’s greatest modern day defeats, not that punters enjoyed it much.
Love N The Port was not just a triumph for Williamson but the patience of his father Phil, one of the most accomplished trainers of trotters in New Zealand history.
‘‘When he was 3 we thought this horse could win a derby but his gait started to let him down, he actually rolled into a pace in the New Zealand Derby,’’ Matty said.
‘‘But Dad was patient and put him aside and the owners were great about letting him do that so they all deserve this.’’
Earlier Lovemeto completed one of the most unusual derby doubles ever seen by a New Zealand trainer by winning the Northern Trotting Derby.
The 3yrold is trained by Dylan Ferguson and senior partner Graeme Rogerson, who in March trained Sharp N Smart to win the equivalent race for thoroughbreds. —