Crystal clears another milestone

In the Lincoln Farms Here For The Horse Mobile Pace at Cambridge tonight, northern junior driver Crystal Hackett achieved her 200^th win driving the Andrew and Lyn Neal trained Merie Mary (Bettor’s Delight).

MERIE MARY REPLAY

Crystal told me earlier this week, “I was sitting on 198 for three weeks and I finally got up to 199 last Friday, so when I tick off 200 I’ll be pretty happy.”

She becomes only the second female junior driver to achieve the feat, following in the footsteps of Sarah O’Reilly.

From an early age, Crystal was more into showjumping than harness racing.

“I didn’t really want to drive. My sister (Tyler) was the opposite. She wanted to drive more than ride. One day we just woke up and switched. She didn’t want to drive any more and I didn’t want to ride any more. It was when I was fifteen that I properly started working in the stables,” Crystal said.

Tyler has just moved to Florida in the US and is pursuing her passion.

“She took her horse with her and she’s over there riding. She’s big into the showjumping. She’s probably working two and a half jobs at the moment to make ends meet.”

Tyler has also fashioned a good record as an owner of standardbreds. She’s owned 73 winners since 2020 and currently has a share in promising trotters Illicit Love and Final Approach.

Meanwhile Crystal is into her sixth year as a junior driver. Her first winner was with High In The Sky for her parents at Alexandra Park in June 2021.

“It was the last race at Alexandra Park in the middle of winter. Mum and Dad bought her at the Sales and had her for a few years. She was just a cool old mare. You never forget your first one. It was pretty exciting. She was owned by a good group of family friends too, so it was pretty special.”

111 of Crystal’s wins have been for her parents Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett.

“They’ve been massive. I wouldn’t be where I am without Mum and Dad. They’ve helped me from the get-go with obviously a lot of drives. Learning to drive off Mum especially has been a massive part of making me the driver I am. She won’t put pressure on me going out on the track and she won’t get angry when I bugger up. She’s just a good teacher and great to sit down with and watch the replays.”

And when asked what role her Dad Bernie has played?

“Not that (laughter)! Dad’s a better critic and lets me know what I’ve buggered up. But no, they’re both very good. But I go to Mum more for driving advice (laughter). She was a better driver in the day, so it’s easier to go to her.”

Her first job away from home was working for Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan for almost five years. They’ve provided her with 29 winners.

“I was working for Barry even before I started driving at the races. You learn so much. Before I went there I didn’t even know how to gear up a pacer. I learned what it was like working for a bigger barn and on-site. With Mum and Dad we had to truck them to the beach every day. It was nice to go to a big stable and programme a horse. I learnt a lot there.”

She appreciates learning from Barry Purdon – one of the best.

“Barry was good at teaching me how to rate a horse. It was also the little things like going through the race and picking up things like how to control the speed when you’re not in front.”

The training partnership gave Crystal two of her biggest moments in the sport to date with wins in two Group One races; the Taylor Mile and the New Zealand Messenger, both with Mach Shard.

In the Taylor Mile Mach Shard was the rank outsider and paid $155.20 to win.

“That was a massive thrill and I’ll always be grateful to Barry and Scottie. I only got the drive in the first week because he was the outsider and needed a driver.”

The result surprised all of his connections.

“I went through the race that day with Barry and he said it would probably be one of the horse’s last runs. He said ‘drive him for luck and hopefully he’s running on at the finish.’ It worked out perfectly. There was a bit of speed on up top and I was able to sit back and run over the top of them. Barry still says he wasn’t watching Shardie. It wasn’t until after the line he realised I’d come down the outside and won. He was too busy watching Merlin in front (chuckle).”

The following week Mach Shard doubled down and won the Messenger, paying $21.00.

“He was just in a great vein of form at the time and a happy horse. He got the job done on the second night which we weren’t expecting. It seems like a lifetime ago now, but hopefully there’s another one to come.”

Her other group feature wins have been the G3 Waikato Trotting Breeders Stakes with Faith In Manchester, the Manukau Summer Cup with Sooner The Bettor, the G3 Greenlane Cup with Kyvalley Hotspur and Belle Neige and the G3 Northern Trotting Breeders Stakes with Belle Neige.

Another notable achievement for the twenty two year old was winning the 2024 New Zealand Junior Drivers Championship.

Although she currently sits at third place in the current New Zealand Junior Drivers Premiership, she’s twenty five wins behind the leading junior Carter Dalgety. She says it’s now extremely hard for a northern based junior to win the premiership.

“Unless you travel down to Christchurch at the weekend and have a really good base down there, I think it’s impossible.”

The last North Island based junior to win the premiership was Zachary Butcher in 2011-2012.

“He was going to Forbury Park every Thursday. You’ve got to do the miles to get the winners because we just don’t have enough meetings. We’ve been down to one meeting a week for the last three months. You just don’t get the drives the South Island juniors get.”

In November, New Zealand will host the Australasian Young Drivers Championship and the final will be held on Cup Day.

The leading northern based junior will be included in the New Zealand team for the championship.

“I’m six ahead of Harry (Harrison Orange) at the moment. I’ve got a month to stay ahead of him, so fingers and toes crossed that I make it. If I make it, it’ll be a pretty cool trip to be a part of, especially because it’s being hosted in New Zealand.”

Next year Crystal will be in her last season as a junior. Often when junior drivers move into the senior ranks they find it difficult to get solid books of drives, but Crystal doesn’t see it as a problem.

“I’ve been asked that a few times and it’s a weird thing to say, but my most hated races to drive in are junior races. It’s just so much harder. The quality of driving is so much higher in the better races. I prefer driving against the seniors. A lot of my drives aren’t in junior driver races and it’s not going to make a massive difference to me because I’m always going to have Mum and Dad’s horses.”

As she moves into the second half of the season Crystal is looking forward to driving some of her parents better trotters, such as Illicit Love (Father Patrick), Belle Neige (Love You), Save A Prayer (Paster Stephen) and Tactical Approach (Tactical Landing).

Illicit Love is not too far away from racing and was back at the trials this week.

“He’s a really nice trotter. He’ll be very progressive this year and next. Those feature races at the beginning of next year will definitely be a target for him.”

He’s won two of his three starts this season and five of his twenty three lifetime appearances.

“He can follow speed, but he can also make his own luck. He’s pretty plain, but when you ask him, he just gives you a bit more every time.”

Quality mare Belle Neige has won ten races, including Group Three features the Greenlane Cup and the Northern Trotting Breeders Stakes.

“I’m looking forward to getting back on her. She’s incredibly fast. You just sit on her and let her loose at the quarter. She’s got a wicked turn of foot but in saying that she sat outside Meant To Be in the Greenlane Cup this year and won. She is very tough too and a pretty cool mare to drive.”

Hackett says Belle Neige is expected to commence a new campaign next Friday night.

“There’s one race a month for her right up until Cup Week if we were to stay in the North Island. In every race up here she’ll be off a handicap. She’s a very hard horse to place and she’ll be up against the boys. She’ll be off 40 metres when she lines up fresh up over the long trip of 2700.”

Belle Neige carries a nomination for the $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion Handicap.

“It’s obviously going to be hard to win it against those good Aussies.”

Save A Prayer, a three year old gelding by Paster Stephen is out of Girls On Film and has won twice from eleven starts.

“I think they’ll have a lot of fun with him when he comes back at the end of the year. He probably won’t go south but I think he’s nice and his brain needs to catch up with his legs.”

Final Approach is another smart trotter who’s won four of his six starts this season.

“He’s put together a really nice formline this time in. I think he’s in the same boat as Illicit Love. Those feature races at the beginning of next year will be the target for him. They’ll all end up in the same grade so it’ll be pretty hard making the decision on which one to drive, which is a bit of a pain.”

Having ended her time with Purdon and Phelan, Crystal now works for Matty White at Clevedon where she’s been for six months.

“We’ve got a nice team around us, especially two year olds.”

And she’s excited about Lathered In Love, a two year old filly by Lather Up out of the two win Sir Lincoln mare Love Yourself.

“She’s my guaranteed race drive from Matty’s.”

These days, between work at the White stable and driving at either Alexandra Park or Cambridge Crystal doesn’t get home much.

“I took a couple of weeks off in January and February and went home. I haven’t been for a trip down the beach for a few months now. I ring Mum every couple of days to see how the horses are. We do the programme (races) of the horses a lot together. I help by looking for the right races for her. She makes me feel like I’m a part of the team and not just the driver.”

Although she’s keen to take up training at some point, it’s likely a fair way down the track.

“I’m really enjoying it out at Matty’s and focusing on the driving. But definitely the main aim if racing in the North Island is still going, will be to head back home and take over the team from Mum and Dad. But not anytime soon.”

Crystal is sponsored by Duncan McPherson of Aldebaran Park and is grateful for the association.

“We’ve always had one of two in work for Duncan. He’s been a good sponsor of mine right from the get-go. I’ve obviously driven a lot for him, which has been a nice twist to the sponsorship. Not everyone is sponsored by the people they drive for. My one hundredth trotting winner (Aldebaron What) was for Duncan as well.”

Outside of driving, Crystal is dipping her toes into breeding with Princess MacKendon which won nine races for her parents, including the G3 Northern Trotting Breeders Stakes.

Princess MacKendon has an Oscar Bonavena weanling filly and is in foal to Father Patrick.

“Every foal that has raced has won, so it’s been a nice start. She’s a nice mare which has always left a nice type. I said to Mum that when my foal is close to racing, that’ll be when I get my trainers licence.”

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink