Faith Not Fear delivers emotional $200,000 Group 1 triumph

Faith Not Fear (Captaintreacherous) produced a courageous front-running performance to give driver Samantha Ottley and trainers Hayden and Amanda Cullen a memorable harness racing victory in the $200,000 Group 1 Woodlands Stud Sires’ Stakes Series Final at Addington on New Zealand Trotting Cup Day (November 10).

The talented two-year-old pacer showed previously untapped gate speed to take control of the 1980-metre feature before fighting off his challengers to claim one of the biggest victories of his young career.

It was an emotional success for the Cullen stable, which had carefully prepared Faith Not Fear for the race, and particularly satisfying for Ottley, who has endured her share of ups and downs over the past 12 months.

Faith Not Fear began brilliantly from barrier one, with Ottley taking full advantage of the inside draw to establish an early lead.

Scoundrel, driven by Seth Hill, worked forward to sit parked outside the leader, while the well-supported Tour Party was among those chasing.

Despite being asked to use his speed early, Faith Not Fear settled beautifully in front, allowing Ottley to dictate the tempo without having to fight her horse.

When the pressure increased, the youngster responded like a seasoned campaigner, showing determination to hold his rivals at bay.

FAITH NOT FEAR REPLAY

Bamm Bamm, driven by Harrison Orange for trainers Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan, finished second, with Tour Party third for Carter Dalgety and trainers Cran and Chrissie Dalgety.

Scoundrel held fourth for driver Seth Hill and trainer Brendon Hill.

For Amanda Cullen, the victory was the culmination of a plan that began when Faith Not Fear was selected at the yearling sales for owners Dennis and Mark Dunford.

Speaking after the race, Cullen was delighted that the stable’s faith in the youngster had been rewarded on the biggest day of the New Zealand harness racing calendar.

“We picked this guy out at the sales, and loyal clients of ours, Dennis and Mark Dunford, he was the one that we wanted to take home for them,” Cullen said.

“It’s just really rewarding for us and our whole team to be here on the biggest day of our calendar year with this bloke and be victorious.”

Although the stable had always held Faith Not Fear in high regard, Cullen admitted there had been one lingering question about how he would respond when subjected to genuine pressure.

“Probably just our only question mark going into today was he’s not really been to the bottom of the well yet. He hasn’t had that rough and tumble.”

That question was answered emphatically as Faith Not Fear maintained his composure throughout the race and fought strongly when challenged.

Cullen credited Ottley’s understanding of the horse and the preparation provided by the entire stable.

“Sam’s driven him right from the get-go. She knows the horse.”

“We’ve had a flawless preparation, you know, at home, on the track and at the races and trials, and we come here today full of confidence.”

The victory was also an emotional moment for Hayden and Amanda Cullen, who have developed a particularly strong attachment to their promising youngster.

“He’s a horse that we have so much time for and, yeah, he’s just the ultimate professional. Great result.”

For Ottley, the win carried its own special significance.

Interviewed by Trackside NZ’s Brittany Graham, the winning driver could barely contain her excitement.

“Yeah, we did it, Britt. How cool!”

Ottley was quick to acknowledge the opportunity provided by the Cullen stable and the horse’s owners.

“How lucky am I to be the one sitting here, Britt?”

“It was certainly a great phone call I got that day from Amanda, and fully, fully grateful to the owners for entrusting me with their little gem.”

One of the most impressive aspects of the victory was Faith Not Fear’s ability to lead throughout, something he had not previously been required to do in his short racing career.

Ottley explained that the colt’s natural manners and temperament gave her the confidence to adopt different tactics when the race unfolded differently from what she had anticipated.

“We’ve never really had to use it as such in his short career to date, but he’s so good-gaited and such a lovely little horse.”

“The race probably didn’t pan out how I initially thought it would, but to his credit, he’s never had to lead up, but he did it and we got the big one.”

Ottley had initially expected a possible lead-and-trail scenario with Tour Party.

However, after Faith Not Fear began so quickly, she was happy to remain in front, even with Scoundrel sitting outside her.

“I was quite happy to stay in front today, even with Seth sitting outside him. He just goes to sleep, nothing worries him.”

That relaxed attitude proved a significant advantage, with the youngster conserving his energy while Ottley controlled the race.

“He got off the gate great, and Seth was obviously just happy to sit outside, and I just let him dictate the pace.”

“This little fella just went to sleep and only did what he had to.”

Ottley revealed that Faith Not Fear was so responsive that he was ready to accelerate whenever the horse outside him appeared to be making a move.

“Every time Seth clicked his one up, this guy was like, ‘Is it my time to go?’ I said, ‘No, not yet, buddy.'”

Faith Not Fear returned $2.80 on the tote and $2.40 at fixed odds, rewarding punters who supported him to claim the Group 1 feature.

For Ottley, however, the occasion was about considerably more than the winning dividend.

Reflecting on her career and the challenges of establishing herself in harness racing, she delivered a message that captured the emotion of the occasion.

“You know yourself, being a female in the sport, never easy, but the girls can do anything.”

It was a fitting conclusion to a memorable afternoon for Ottley, the Cullen stable and the connections of Faith Not Fear.

For complete race results, click here.

From Harnesslink Media