Personal bests for the 2020-21 season

A total of 76 trainers and drivers achieved personal bests in the 2020-21 season. 

A search of Harness Racing New Zealand records for the season show that 25 drivers had their most wins in a season, as did 51 trainers.  

As well as having their best seasons Ben Hope (40) had his first Group One victory with Muscle Mountain in the Fred Shaw Memorial New Zealand Trotting Championship, as did Benjamin Butcher (44) with Enjoy Me in the Sires’ Stakes 3YO Filllies Final, and then B D Joe at the Harness Jewels.   

Second to Blair Orange (179) in the premiership,  John Dunn had his best season in the sulky with 141 wins, including nine with Five Wise Men and seven with Sundees Son. 

Tim Williams (93), Sam Ottley (82) and Robbie Close (65) also had their best seasons as did the country’s stand-out junior driver Sarah O’Reilly (57).   

Of the trainers Robert Dunn was a runaway leader of the premiership, winning it for the second season in a row. He had a career high 124 training successes, eclipsing his previous best haul of 121 in 2016. 

Among the others to have had their best ever seasons were Arna Donnelly with 37, beating the 33 she had in 2019. Among Amber Hoffman’s best return of 23 wins was taking out the very last race at Forbury Park with Dodgethebullet. 

Woodend Beach trainers Regan Todd (43), Matt Purvis (28) and Bob Butt (19) also had their best seasons, as did the Southland-based Nathan Williamson (48), Alister Black (19) and Craig Ferguson (15). 

See below for a full list of the trainers and drivers who had their best ever seasons in 2021.

Trainers

Name Wins
 Stephen Anderson 2
 Paul Andrews 2
 Steve Baucke 6
 Philip Beveridge 3
 Alister Black 19 
 Lyndon Bond 11 
 Zachary Butcher 6
 Kim Butt 4
 Bob Butt 19
 Tracy Cadwallader 1
 Kyle Cameron 12
 Terry Chmiel 12
 Katie Cox
 Mike Curry 2
 Robert Davis 3
 Arna Donnelly 37 
Robert Dunn  124
Alan Edge 6
Chelsea Faithful 7
Craig Ferguson 15
Mark Gill 4
Joseph Gray 3
Ricky Gutsell 4
Dean Halliday 2
Steve Harding 3
Mike Heenan 9
Amber Hoffman 23
Petra Luzumova 1
Doug McCormick 4
Tracie McGrannachan 3
Laura McKay 1
John Morrison 7
Sandra Mounce 8
Maria Murrell 1
Denis O’Connell 13
Andre Poutama 10
Matt Purvis 28
Ellie Rowden 4
Jo Stevens 8
Robert Stuart 7
Jason & Megan Teaz 15
Regan Todd 43
Bruce Wallace 3
Angela Washington 1
Brent White 30
Luke Whittaker 1
Matty Williamson 8
Nathan Williamson 48
John Withell 2
Jess Young-Grant 1

 

Drivers

Name Wins
Richard Austin 1
Benjamin Butcher 44
Ross Cameron 6
Alana Cameron 10
Jamie Campbell 4
Robbie Close 65
John Dunn 141
Crystal Hackett 2
Alicia Harrison 18
Ben Hope 40
Tate Hopkins  1
Tristan Larsen 10 
Zev Meredith  8
Korbyn Newman 21
Sarah O’Reilly 57
Sam Ottley 82 
Frank Phelan 
Gemma Thornley 
Sam Thornley  5
Olivia Thornley
Kerryn Tomlinson  27
Luke Whittaker 16
Sheryl Wigg  12
Cheree Wigg
Tim Williams  93

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