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Oamaru trotting filly Becky’s Girl (Majestic Son) upstaged some more favoured runners to narrowly win the $60,000 Group Two Macca Lodge Sires’ Stakes Three Year Old Fillies Classique at Addington tonight. After the early rush, driver Matty Williamson made sure he got Becky’s Girl on the back of the favourite Duchess Maria, driven by his […]
Although Redback Bob (Majestic Son) wasn’t at his best yesterday, he beat stablemate Kings Choice and retained his unbeaten record when he won his Diamond Creek Farm/SBSR final at Winton. Three quarters of a length separated the pair, with another seven and a quarter lengths back to Yukon Hill, making it a Phil Williamson trifecta. […]
On Sunday, the Williamson family will be starting close to thirty percent of the horses on the card at Southern Surge Finals Day at Winton. Phil (8), Matty (7), Brad (7) and Nathan (5) look set to play a big game across the ten races. Here’s what they had to say about their top two […]
Off The Canvas (Art Major) faced plenty of challengers at Ascot Park today, but he lifted when it counted and successfully achieved his first win. Williamson took the gelding straight to the top. He was always travelling like a winner and went down to the wire to win by a length and a quarter from […]
The wet old day at Ascot Park today was of no disadvantage to Delphyne (Sundon) who pushed off the gate early, avoided any backwash and led all the way to the finish line. At the line the three year filly who’s trained by Brent McIntyre had half a length to spare on Jaccka Ace, with […]
Judging by Oamaru trainer Phil Williamson’s praise of Redback Bob, (Majestic Son) the impressive maiden trotting winner may be the stable’s next good trotter. If Redback Bob progress lives up to what Williamson thinks he’s capable of, he could be racing in the $200,000 New Zealand Trotting Derby later in the season. “Absolutely. He’s up […]
Southern driver Nathan Williamson won six of the ten races at the Wyndham HRC meeting at Winton today and he also trained four of the winners. It was the first time Williamson has driven six winners on a racecard. “They all drew well, which made the difference,” Williamson said. First starter Redback Bob (Majestic Son) […]
There’s no better way to advertise your breeding brand than having winners on the racetrack and the Southern Bred Southern Reared brand had them in spades last night. The southern group who breed and sell as a collective, last night recorded three winners at Alexandra Park and four at Addington. And there’s the promise of […]
The 50m back mark He Aint Fakin (Art Major) faces at Ascot Park this week is the last thing Phil Williamson is worrying about. Training horses in Oamaru hasn’t been easy recently even for a master trotting trainer, with torrential rain and flooding hitting the North Otago region. While winning on Sunday is clearly the […]
Today’s racing at Winton provided plenty of highlights. Now in her third season of training a small team, Mataura horsewoman Nicole Aitken trained her third winner today when Cash Is King (Captain Crunch) cleared maiden ranks. Driver Kerryn Tomlinson positioned Cash Is King four back on the inside but with a moderate pace being set […]
Two Year Old Master McGoogan’s (What The Hill) win last night at Addington further enhanced the fabulous harness racing record the progeny of Winnie McGoogan and her daughter Minnie McGoogen have as two year olds. The story began when Invercargill real estate agent Craig Heyrick bought Muscle Mass filly Winnie McGoogan at the 2015 National […]
Life initially wasn’t easy for Oscar Bonavena (Majestic Son) and if it wasn’t for the intervention of Charlotte Williamson he may not have survived, let alone go on to become a harness racing millionaire. Oscar’s mother Now’s The Moment was owned by Charlotte’s father John Purvis and was grazing at home. “When I found him […]
The Otago region honoured horses and harness racing people last night at their annual Harness Racing Awards Evening. The premium Horse Of The Year title was won by Princess Sadie while the Outstanding Contribution to Harness Racing Award was presented to Otago vet Peter Gillespie. Other award winners were: Two Year Pacing Colt or Gelding […]
The trotters took a fair share of the limelight at today’s NZB Standardbred Sales in Christchurch. The Walner – Egee Money filly presented by Yabby Dam Farms and prepared by Laura Smith topped the Sale and was purchased by Stonewall Stud for $290,000. “NZB have done a great job and Laura Smith has prepared her […]
In todays $20,000 Edinburgh Realty Waikouaiti Trotters Cup at Oamaru, the drivers wore black arm bands to honour former Oamaru breeder, owner and trainer Roni Lauren who passed away yesterday. Phil Williamson trained the winner Practical Magic (Majestic Son) – a very fitting result as he also trained Lauren’s best horse Allegro Agitato, (Sundon) which won twenty two races. Roni Lauren had bred Allegro Agitato and the mare was initially trained by Patrick O’Reilly. […]
Ryal Bush trainer Brett Gray wasn’t sure if The Big Lebowski (Mach Three) would handle todays dead track at Riverton and as he rolled to the front, he wasn’t sure whether that would suit him either. However he needn’t have worried because under an inch perfect drive from Kirstin Green, the giant pacer won the […]
Master harness racing trainer Phil Williamson is confident fans can keep the faith in He Aint Fakin (Art Major). The Australian pacer turned trotter is set to start at short odds despite being pulled up after galloping in his last start at Omakau. Williamson took the Art Major trotter to the trials following his latest […]
Master trotting trainer Phil Williamson never gave up on Empire City (Volstead) and she rewarded his faith in her with a good win in the $40,000 G3 Pryde’s Easifeed Southern Lights at Ascot Park today. It was the multiple Group winning mare’s first win since September 2024 when she took out the G2 Sires’ Stakes […]
Phil Williamson can’t quite figure out Empire City (Volstead) at the moment. The former Group winner starts in tomorrows $40,000 Group Three Pryde’s Easifeed Southern Lights at Ascot Park, but hasn’t won since she was three. “She’s been way below her best form. We haven’t been able to put our finger on why she’s been […]
He’s a horse that doesn’t win out of turn and his harness racing form depends on how he begins, but Jimmy Carter (The Pres) was on his best behaviour today in taking out the $25,000 Jaccka Lodge Gore Trotting Cup. Trained by Phil Williamson and driven by his son Matty, the ten year old settled […]
Winning stablemates rarely come from backgrounds as different as the double Phil Williamson trained at Addington early on Friday night. Because juvenile winner Becky’s Girl has been with Williamson since the day she was born while the Oamaru trainer still laughs about the fact he now trains former Aussie pacer He Aint Fakin, who also […]
Oamaru trainer Phil Williamson is a great fan of trotting races for mares. Nevertheless he reckons it’ll be virtually impossible for his quality mare Empire City (Volstead) to win tomorrow’s $40,000 Group Three The Dark Horse at Ascot Park. “I give her no chance. 30 metres is ridiculous, and I don’t mind saying it out […]
This Sunday one of the feature races on the Oamaru harness racing card is the $40,000 Group Three Jasmyn’s Gift Fillies and Mares Stakes. The race is named after Jasmyn’s Gift which was bred by Phil and Bev Williamson and she was named after their daughter Jasmyn. Phil trained her to win seventeen races and […]
Fourteen years after his first win, Oamaru horseman Brad Williamson drove his five hundredth winner at Gore today. His first winner was on the same track in August 2011 when he won on Graceandtemika for trainers Geoff and Jude Knight. “Unfortunately they’re not in the game anymore. They did a lot for all the Williamson […]
