Alfeld gets the chocolates

Encouraged by the late Katie Cox and his daughter’s partner Aaron Swain, Murray Alfeld renewed his driving licence this season and got back into the winning groove with Chocolate Angus’s (Royal Aspirations) win at Methven today.

Alfeld last held a licence ten years ago and his last winning drive was Sunny Yankee at Banks Peninsula in February 2005.

“Aaron was a big supporter of me getting by licence back and the late Katie Cox used to tell me all the time to get my licence to drive again. Katie and I were good friends, she was my nextdoor neighbour and I used to shoe for her,” Alfeld said.

In today’s Ryal Bush Ashburton Trot, Alfeld secured an inside passage behind hot favourite Wot Up Tyron, with BK Mumma Jamie and He Aint No Devil leading early.

Turning in, Wot Up Tyron moved off the inside, allowing Chocolate Angus to get a run up the passing lane. While Wot Up Tyron was stuck behind He Ain’t No Devil, Chocolate Angus got a clear run to beat BK Mumma Jamie by two and a quarter lengths with Neil William a length back in third.

“I was following John Dunn (Wot Up Tyron) and he’s the man of the moment (laughter). I knew he would go because he’s not a sit driver. There are two spots up the passing lane at Methven. After the race I heard Jonny say to the other drivers something I can’t repeat, but my horse came through with a bit of authority and I was confident.”

CHOCOLATE ANGUS REPLAY

Aaron Swain’s partner is Murray’s daughter Rose and their young son Archie was also on course today. Rose is a very accomplished horsewoman who in 2018 won the World Cup in Showjumping with her mount My Super Nova.

“The little fella was born at twenty two and a half weeks, so he’s lucky to be here. Everyone wants to go to tea tonight and I said we’ll just go down to the old Springston Pub and we’ll be able to take Archie,” said Alfeld.

Chocolate Angus is owned by Geoff Stevenson of Clover Park Bloodstock.

“He had Clover Don with me years ago. Geoff has been very loyal to me. He’s usually got a few in work and he breeds quite a few. He’s very enthusiastic about the game and we’ve become very good friends. It was great for him today to get a wee bit back.”

Clover Don won twenty four races – eighteen for Alfeld, five for Robbie Holmes and one for Colin and Julie DeFilippi.

His biggest win was in the 2014 DG Jones Trotting Cup at Motukarara.

“He was tough. He won on Cup Day one year. They raced him for a whole round and he still won. He was quite a rogue. He’d turn round at the start but I just persevered with him. I gave him a lot of love and worked with him.”

Alfeld has held a trainer’s licence since 1991 and has now trained seventy three winners.

“I used to do a lot of horses once. I shoed for Kevin Townley and Fred Fletcher and broke in a lot of horse for Sir Roy McKenzie. In that era I always had the best drivers on. I’m sixty seven now and I’ve got to the stage where I love having a drive at the trials so Jeff was very supportive of me having a drive at the races.”

Outside of Clover Don, Alfeld also trained Smooth Crusa and Bay Rosa.

Smooth Crusa won three races for him and another twenty one in Australia. He ran third behind Be Good Johnny and Blacks A Fake in the 2006 Miracle Mile while Bay Rosa won five.

Chocolate Angus was bought off Gavelhouse as a yearling and qualified at Ashburton in September last year as a three year old. After showing potential when running a close second at Motukarara, he struck trouble at his fourth start at Timaru.

“A clip on his girth broke and the saddle slipped back and he bucked and kicked and fell over. The starters crew jumped on him (to hold him down) and he wasn’t himself for a wee while after that. We got Sam Smolenski to treat him and we’ve done a bit of work on him. I think he’s back to where he needed to be.”

Alfeld trains at Leeston where he’s been for nine years.

“We’ve got lovely roads and I do the horses down the road a lot. We’ve got the road marked so it works out really well.”

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink