Rakero Ronnie

Canterbury owner and breeder Ronnie Dawe has won 137 races dating back to 2008 and is now synonymous with the ‘Rakero’ brand.

Most of his early winners didn’t carry the name – the first Rakero winner was Rakero Rebel at Rangiora in January 2022.

So how did Dawe get into the sport?

“I was working on a development for Denis Thompson. He had a place at Ohoka where we were doing some development work and Wayne Ross was there. It was through that we started mucking round with horses. Wayne did a couple for me. I’ve always loved horses and I used to go to Addington when I was in my twenties,” Dawe said.

For most of his working life Ronnie has run his business, Dawe Contracting.

“We do little developments and subdivisions. We’ve still got the business and are just doing a subdivision at Ashley at the moment. We’ve wound down a bit, just doing the odd little one to pay for the horses really.”

Ronnie’s first winner was Striking Dash at Addington in June 2008. He was trained by Phil Burrows and driven by Nigel McGrath.

“It was a claimer which we claimed the week before.”

His first Group winner was Continental Auto in the NRM Sires’ Stakes Two Year Old Trotters Championship at Addington May 2009.

“Her win was unexpected really, but she went alright. I’ve bred on from her. I’m breeding from Muscle Bank (daughter), and we had one winner recently called Party Pack (Six Pack). She’s out of Continental Auto.”

So where does the Rakero name come from?

“RA was the first part of my late father’s name (Ray), KE is from my brother’s name Kevin and Ronnie RO. That’s how we made it up.”

Ronnies biggest win came when Rakero Rocket won the 2024 Group One The Christian Cullen at Addington.

“That was a big thrill. I always wanted to win a Group One, so I’m happy.”

He bought Rakero Rocket at the 2021 Sales for $16,000 when the Rock N Roll Heaven colt was offered by Belmont Park on behalf of Opawa Downs Limited.

“I’d bought about six or seven that day. I always wanted him because I’ve always liked the breeding of the Motu ones. I was probably always going to buy him.”

He’s out of Motu Pocket O’Jewels, an In The Pocket mare out of Silkngem. Motu Pocket O’Jewels is a full-sister to Motu Treasure the winner of nineteen and is a half -sister to Motu Crusader, which won sixteen races.

Other feature wins for Rakero Rocket have been the Nelson Classic, the 2024 Timaru Summer Cup and the 2025 G3 Methven Cup.

Rakero Rocket has been the Dawe’s Flagship horse for the last few seasons and since he moved to Australia where he’s under the care of Jason Grimson, he’s won two FFA’s at Menangle, one in 1-47.3.

“He’s the fastest horse in Australasia since My Field Marshal. He’s so suited to racing in Australia because he’s got such good gate speed. He could end up in America. We’ll just wait and see. He’s not going to the Victoria Cup. We’ll just get a couple of wins out of him and see how he’s going.”

Dawe has a property close to the Rangiora Racecourse where his horses are pre-trained by Warwick Roberts (Woody) and Mark Smolenski.

“They work them up and might train the odd one, but Steven (Reid) will take over the promising ones.”

Reid currently has four Rakero horses in work while Warwick and Mark have seven they’re training up.

His biggest winners have been Mach’s Gladiator (14), Rakero Rocket (11), Ebury Street (9), Muscle Bank (8), Tango Delight (7), Excuse Maker (7), Wild Excuse (6), Millwood Indie (6), Dundee Three (5) and Light Me Up (5).

Phil Burrows has trained 72 of his winners, Tom Bamford 38 and Gavin Smith 55.

Dawe is also breeding from six mares. Muscle Bank (Muscle Hill – Continental Auto), Millwood Indie (Captaintreacherous – Millwood Minisota), Ebury Street (Bettor’s Delight – Meet Me In Mayfair), Midnight Babe (Bettor’s Delight – Beaudiene Bad Babe) and Rakero Diamond (Downbytheseaside – Splendid Bet).

“We go to middle of the road sires like Downbytheseaside and Sweet Lou – those sort of ones.”

Over the past few years Dawe has been an active buyer at both weanling and yearling sales and has some well bred young horses on his books.

At the 2024 NZB Standardbred Weanling Sales he bought Rakero Riley, a Downbytheseaside colt whose second dam is thirteen win mare Helena Jet. He also bought Rakero Maddie, an Art Major filly who’s closely related to Alta Serena and Hughie Green.

He purchased a Downbytheseaside – Tamsin Shard colt for $15,000 at the 2025 Sales which is named Rakero Renegade and at the Auckland sales of that year a Downbytheseaside – First Class Lady colt for $18,000. He’s named Rakero Razor and is a half-brother to Freeze Frame.

At this year’s Canterbury Sales his major purchase was a full brother to Millwood Nike for which he paid $50,000.

“He got passed in and no one really wanted him to be fair. We went and had a look at him and couldn’t find anything wrong.  He goes good. We bought another one at the Weanling Sales the year before out of Maddison’s Delight and it goes really nice too.”

The Maddison’s Delight colt named Rakero Riptide is by Downbytheseaside and is a half-brother to American Dealer.

At this year’s Auckland Sale, be picked up a Downbytheseaside – Starski colt for $20,000 and an Art Major colt out of Cordella for $11,000.

With plenty of well-bred stock on hand we can expect the Rakero brand to construct a few more wins in the coming seasons.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink