By Rob Courtney
Scott Iremonger has held a Junior Drivers licence since 2018 and freely admits that the race day driving now takes a backseat to his flourishing farrier business but number 13 Motor Mouth duly obliged at Rangiora on Sunday, securing the young man’s 13th win in the cart.
Motor Mouth (6g Sportswriter – Blah Blah Blah) was having start 58 for win number five with a further 16 placings and $57k in the bank.
“The ‘old battler’ got a trip that he thrives on where they go hard up front and then he swoops on them late” explained his young driver.
It continued a fine spell of form for the Joseph Gray stable who were just nosed out of the quinella with race favourite King Arthur fighting hard for a close up third.
Iremonger has been shoeing the Gray team for about the last 18 months and the trainer has repaid his farrier with a few drives along the way.
This was after Iremonger and dad (Dave) moved down from Morrinsville about 3½ years ago and settled in Sefton, North Canterbury.
Iremonger Junior sees himself as a farrier first and a race day harness driver second. He also drove his father’s horse Smokin Gun earlier in the programme but failed to threaten after missing away.
“When I first started out, I was working for Mike Berger up north and Mike used to shoe his whole team and it was his tuition that gave me the grounding that set me on this career path.”
Current clients include Kevin Fairbairn and stud farm Nevele R where he trims the weanlings and the all important stallions. Throw in a few hacks and ponies and Iremonger’s days fill reasonably quickly.
He currently has a couple in work for himself, a learner trotter and a qualified, but as yet unraced, pacer. Partner Anj Mugford has eight in work and there are a bunch of ‘grazers’ owned by ‘pony people’ who are part of a large agistment operation at Somerset Racing and Equestrian centre, a 200 acre property on both sides of Leeston Road owned by Ang’s parents.
Trainer Joseph Gray has done extremely well with his ‘old battlers’ in recent times and now out training full time for himself, is always on the lookout for potential stable recruits.
The stable has won six this season from 85 starts with a further 23 placings and a respectable UDR of 0.200.
As for young Iremonger, he will continue to do what he does best but if anyone needs a farrier, he would relish more harness work and is only a phone call away.
