A special relationship

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The Screen family have built a rewarding partnership with Rakaia trainer Warren Stapleton and his son Deane.

It all began when Paulette Screen sent Eyes Flying (New York Motoring) south more than twenty years ago.

“He was an idiot and was always hurting himself. He did a suspensory so I sent him down to Warren and he got him right, qualified him and sent him back up here,” Paulette said.

Eyes Flying had twelve starts for Screen and won three races.

Next was Lester, (Bettor’s Delight) bought by Screen as a gelding off Gavelhouse.

“The person I bought him off assured me he was sound. But once we started working him his leg kept blowing up. We got him scanned and he’d done a hind suspensory. He was a little bit of a sh.t.”

Paulette describes Lester’s reaction on an occasion when she gave him a tap with the whip at home.

“He started bucking and kicked me out of the cart. I landed on an electric fence and he was going round the track with no cart on. I was telling everyone to be careful. When I got out the gate he was eating grass.”

She decided Lester wasn’t a horse she wanted to train, so he too was sent south to Warren and Deane to sort out.

“Deane said ‘he won’t kick me out of the cart, I’m a big fat bugger.’ Lester was going to  race at Methven for his first start and they decided to take him to see the track on the Monday for a look round. He put the boot in and smashed the cart. But he didn’t kick Deane out. They’ve had him ever since.”

Lester started racing at five and in four seasons he’s won five and has finished second ten times.

Included in the ownership of Lester is Glen Wolfenden, the son of legendary driver and trainer Peter Wolfenden.

“Glen works for me up here. He said to me if Lester isn’t a good horse I’ll eat my hat.”

Since then the Screen family have sent a number of horses south, including Spirited Lou, Renaldo, Take The Miki and Next Level.

Spirited Lou has won three while Renaldo won one before he was sold to America.

“We bought Renaldo off Jean Feiss because she had twelve babies in training and he wasn’t one of the best ones. Spirited Lou was a little colt and the owners I leased him off didn’t geld him and when things didn’t go his way he didn’t try at all. Deane did a good job in getting three wins out of him.”

Take The Miki and Next Level have been the last two winners for the combination.

“Take The Miki was a good horse for Steven Reid. He’s very big and he did a tendon. They sent him to the swimming pool at Cambridge and he came back and was sent to Aussie to be trained by Luke McCarthy. He did his tendon in a different place over there. Terese (Paulette’s sister) paid to bring him back because she cared about him and I told her to send him down to Warren.”

In just five starts for Stapleton he’s won three races.

Next Level was initially trained by Steven Reid but was having bad tie-up issues.

“Steven tried everything and suggested we try another trainer. We got advice from Greg Hope and now they’ve got the horse on lupins and he doesn’t go out in the paddock at all.”

Typical of racing there have been equine challenges along the way, but the Screen/Stapleton partnership has proved to be enduring and rewarding over more than two decades.

“They’ve done a brilliant job. I think we’ve got seven down there now.”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink

This content was first released to The Insider subscribers. Newsletter content will only be made available on the website until May 01 2026. From then it will be exclusive to Insider subscribers. Don’t wait days for the edge on the latest news. Get our previews, selections, and insights early by joining our free newsletter The Insider.