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 | 7 |
| 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 | 4 |
| Gemma Thornley | 8 |
| Sam Thornley | 5 |
| Olivia Thornley | 6 |
| Kerryn Tomlinson | 27 |
| Luke Whittaker | 16 |
| Sheryl Wigg | 12 |
| Cheree Wigg | 9 |
| Tim Williams | 93 |
