By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk
Margo Nyhan has been training winners for more than 20 years but yesterday’s victory with Knowing Me at Nelson was a stand out.
It came just less than a fortnight after her mother Denise died “unexpectedly” at age 87. She suffered a stroke just before Christmas and died in Christchurch Hospital on December 29.
“We tried really hard to get a win over on the Coast over Christmas time before Mum passed and we missed out but to get one yesterday was pretty special for sure.”
To make it even more poignant Knowing Me was bred by her parents, the late Denis and Denise Nyhan.
“And to race in their colours was really great.”
The Nyhans are one of the great harness racing families with Denise born into the sport. Her father Bill Doyle was a legend in his own right and that has carried on with her and her sisters Helen Pope and Lynn Smith.
After marrying, Denis and Denise Nyhan had two children, Margo and Kim.
“Mum was very hard working, very loyal, and a very good horsewoman,” says Margo, “up until her 70s she still drove fast work.”
“Even just before Christmas she was talking about breeding another horse!”
She was also someone who did things her own way.
“She was eight months pregnant with Kim and she’d ride Johnny Globe around the roads to keep him fit for stud season.”
She is also credited with making a decision that would change the trajectory of their greatest horse.
“It was Mum who took the hobbles off Robalan.”
As a free legged pacer Robalan was a cult hero. Trained and driven by Denis, he won 39 races between 1969 and 76, with his New Zealand Cup win in 1974 his fourth attempt in the biggest race of them all.
In the past week or so the Nyhans have been humbled by the support they’ve had from within the racing community.
“People have been amazing with a lot of lovely messages and flowers.”
In yesterday’s race Knowing Me, driven by Margo’s partner Peter Davis, started safely and then pressed on to the lead in the Tyre General Trot. Briefly in the run home she was headed by Bullit Train but rallied to win by a length.
Fittingly, Knowing Me is out of With Intent, a Sundon mare bred and owned by Denis and Denise Nyhan, who won 13 races from 97 starts (2007-14). She is also a full sister to It’s So Easy (7 wins).
Coincidentally Margo had recently come across a photo showing her mother at the Nelson races in 1965.
“So that’s 60 years since she was there and when we had our winner.”
And the celebration didn’t end there.
Nellie Doyle, a trotter named after Denise Nyhan’s mother, won Race 3 at Nelson yesterday for trainer Tim Trathen.
“I recorded the races on My Sky before we left for the races and when we get home we will go to the (family) farm and have a bubbles and watch the races like we used to with Mum every time we won a race.”
