“She’s the fastest I’ve sat behind,” said driver trainer Nathan Williamson after Dark Horse impressively won the main trot on Diamonds Day at Ascot Park today.

Her time of 3-26.7 is a new track and Southland record for mares over the distance. The all-comers record of 3-26.3 is held by Dark Horse's half-brother Monty Python. 

She's undoubtibly one of the rising trotting stars in the country and Williamson said he felt she was on her game today after breaking at the top of the straight at Winton at her last start when starting to cruise up to the leaders.

“Yes I'm thrilled that she did things right today and to be honest she gave me a feel that she was going to do that (in her warm up). I’ve been a lot happier with her since Winton. The other day she was fresh back and just wanted to get it all done too quickly. Today she had real control and felt like the real deal," he said.

After sitting back on the outside Williamson took the four year old mare forward with just under a lap to run.

“That’s been my biggest concern – doing some midrace work but I just felt that they had backed off so much I thought I’d be in trouble sitting in the centre. It forced my hand to go round to the front. It didn’t bother her. She was strong at the line.”

At the 600 Williamson let Dark Horse run and she opened up a gap on the chasing bunch. At the end of the 2700 metres she was eight lengths in front of the second horse Springbank Eden.

“She was just waiting for them and losing concentration.”

It was the mare's sixth win from just thirteen starts and puts her sixth on the Harness Jewels leader board in the 4 Year Old Ruby.

“I got a lot out of the day. If we have to do a little bit of work then we can in a race like the Jewels so that was the biggest thing I got from today. I also pulled the plugs for the first time all year just to see how she’d handle that. She accelerated for about fifty metres really quickly and I thought that’ll do, so I just put the brakes on again.”

Williamson doesn't have anything planned for her prior to the end of season mile at Ashburton.

‘She’ll just tell me. The best thing now is that she doesn’t need to race again because she doesn’t need any more qualifying money.”

Dark Horse has always been rated by Williamson but he says it hasn't been plain sailing.

“She’s a maintainance horse. We’ve nursed her through this far. I’ve been able to lift her work and I trialled her midweek just to take the edge off her. Normally she’d fall away (lose condition) with that (work) but her condition is fine and she’s putting on weight. I’m thrilled that she’s starting to put on weight and starting to muscle up. Her manners today were beautiful and everything she did today was perfect.”

Winning owners        Photo Bruce Stewart

Dark Horse is raced on lease by the Griffins and Seafield Trotting syndicates. 

Bruce Stewart
Southland Harness Racing