The rise of Riley

Riley Harrison admits that harness racing wasn’t on her radar at all as a young person. Nor was she aware that her distant relative Kelvin Harrison was a famed standardbred trainer in America.

“I’ve only just found out this stuff since I’ve been in harness racing,” she said.

After finishing high school at Rangi Ruru, Riley was on the lookout for a job.

“Someone in the family said there was work at Robbie Holmes. I helped there for a day, and they said the Dunns were looking for workers so I drove back there and got a job. I kind of rode a few horses with my friends, but I’d never been to the races and had no experience. I wanted to join the Police Force but they told me to go and get life experience under my belt before I apply again.”

Riley says it’s something she may still want to do down the track.

“People say once your junior career is over and you haven’t got someone like your Dad training, you can be stuffed. I’ll just have to wait and see I guess.”

She is now fully immersed in the sport and surrounded by good people and good horses at the country’s leading harness racing barn.

“It’s good. It’s a big stable, big hours, hard work. But you can see why they’re the leading trainers, because they put the effort in.”

She works 7.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday and 7.00am to 2.00pm on Saturdays but still finds some time to socialise.

“I go out with my friends heaps and when I got suspended for six days (race days) I went up to Dad’s and did some hunting in the Roar. It was good.”

Harrison has driven 66 winners in total over four seasons, 29 for the Dunns. And she says stable driver John Dunn has been a great mentor.

“Everything I know is from John. Teaching me to drive from the get-go and anything about horses. He’s taught me a lot.”

John recently took two weeks off stable life to attend the Interdominions at Albion Park, entrusting Harrison with more responsibilities.

“I had to do the work list. It’s been stressful (laughter). I don’t know how he does it.”

Riley says she still lives at home at Sefton but has been trying to get a house.

“I keep putting things off because of how busy I am at the moment.”

One of her favourite horses, Mighty Logan, is back on the active list with some big targets lined up for the spring.

“He and Got The Chocolates have been working up together and lots of two mile work and he’s very good.”

After winning at Methven on the grass in December, the Dunns took Mighty Logan to Auckland where he had two starts.

“He ended up doing an injury to his knee and he had to have surgery. So that’s why he’s been off the scene.”

Bruntwood Brigade proved Harrison with two wins in April and he looks like a horse destined for a higher grade.

“The first time I drove him was in a junior race when he sat parked and won in a track record time with the plug in. That was a pretty impressive win. They put me back on and I got another win with him which was the Winter Cup.”  

As a young driver Riley has received good support from Henderson Hunter, Phil Vermeulen and Wayne Robertson who also train out of the Dunn stable.

“Yeah it’s great (with) all the older boys that come and do their horses at the stable and help out. It’s pretty cool to have driven and won a couple of races on each of their horses.”

Graeme Telfer has also been a great supporter. Silverstar (2), Barrytown (3) and Szybka Lane (1) have been her winners for the Timaru trainer.

“I feel bad. John and Timmy (Tim Williams) don’t get a look-in to drive his horses any more (laughter).”

Harrison has been closely associated with Travel Agent (Sweet Lou) which is owned by the Gordon family.

“He was the hardest colt to put in the cart. I put all the colts in the cart, but he was just so scared of everything. You couldn’t even cough when you were sitting behind him. He would just take off.”

The two year old gelding has won two of his four starts, including the G1 Avon City Ford Welcome Stakes at Addington.

“To see how he was at the start and then to do that. I was the only one to drive him except for John and race day. It was pretty cool watching that transformation. One thing  John has taught me is about talking to the horse. It’s been huge.”

Riley also has a bit of time for Better B Tough (Bettor’s Delight) a two year old full sister to fourteen win pacer, It’s Tough.

One of the highlights of the season to date is winning the Listed Uncut Gems with Rock Lobster at Addington.

“It was cool. She’s such a hard horse to drive. She’s really got to step away but save for one run, she’s really fast. She’s turned into an Open Class mare.”

Another career highlight for the junior was winning the G3 Northern Trotting Oaks with Frazzled which beat Ya Rite Darl and Habibti Pat.

“Long before that win she was my favourite horse, that’s why I went up to Auckland with Mighty Logan and Frazzled so I could drive them in trackwork. She’s being jogged up at the moment after having a couple of setbacks.”

Riley has recently reconnected with Bryce’s Meddle driving him in his last two wins at Addington.

“He gave me my first ever second placing and I also drove him on Cup Day. He was the outsider in the field (13/13) and he went really good (6^th). I had a bit of a bad run on him and everything went wrong and now I’ve had two wins in a row with him. Warwick is such a lovely owner and he lets junior drivers drive his horses. Bruce and Marg Taylor are other owners who’ve been a huge supporter. They own Candy Cane and Scrunch and Frazzled.”  

Although she’s now has over 650 drives under her belt, Riley still finds raceday driving challenging.

“Raceday driving is very hard – well it was for me. There is just so much to it. Not being brought up with horses and not doing Kidz Kartz, it’s been a whole new world.”

She admits to getting nervous.

“People that go to the races with me in the Ranger say it’s the worst ride ever (laughter) because I get really nervous. I tend to get more nervous when I’m driving the stable horses because there’s nothing worse than being entrusted with their horses and stuffing it up. I did play basketball for Canterbury and did athletics and used to get nervous, but not like this.”

This season Riley has recorded 27 wins, a PB and has been selected to drive in the New Zealand Junior Drivers Championship at Alexandra Park and Ashburton next month.

“I don’t like junior races. Even if you’re on a hot favourite you don’t know what could happen. There could be carnage.”

A good example of this she cites is when driving Midnight Diamond in last Friday night’s Darren DeFilippi Memorial.

“It was a full field junior trot and anything could happen. There was going to be so many people to dodge. I knew it was going to be very hard and it was. It was impossible.”

This year’s Junior Drivers Championship is stacked full of talent season and although Harrison may be nervous going into the series, there’s no doubting she won’t be out of place.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink