By Jonny Turner
After an all-conquering season, Matthew Williamson hopes to keep his momentum going in 2025 with a big Roxburgh Cup day on Saturday.
The trainer produced a personal-best 39 wins in 2024, making him the leading trainer both in Otago and south of the Waitaki River.
Though he is undoubtedly the public face of his operation, Williamson was quick to credit those behind the scenes for his breakout season.
“If you had told me at the start of last year that we would have ended up where we have, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.”
“But the horse numbers built over the year. We started off with a smaller team and now we are up over 30.
“We have had a heap of owners jump on board with us. They’ve been great.”
“You’re only as good as your staff too, so they deserve a lot of the credit.
“It is a team effort and a family operation and [wife] Charlotte does a huge amount of work and she is quite good at doing all those things I forget about.”
Williamson hopes several of his strong contributors from 2024 can help build his 2025 win tally.
Flying Bird steps out in the finale, Race 11 the Bearing Replacements/ Sgt Dan Stockfoods Mobile Pace (5.38pm) after chasing the smart Lakelsa in a strong last-start effort at Ascot Park.
“She ran on quite nicely at Invercargill and this looks like quite a suitable race for her.”
“Her work seems to be getting better and better, I am quite happy with her.”
Feta Go Fernco won her first two career starts last year, and she looks to get her chance to bounce back to her best form in 2025.
“She has drawn 11 and 12 in her last two starts in tough grades.
“She’s on the second row again but the field looks suitable enough for her and I would expect her to be running on.”
Jordan Anne was one of Williamson’s most consistent performers in 2024 and the trainer expects more of the same this year after her fourth yesterday in Race 7, the Ritchie McDonald and Val Whye Memorial Trot (3.24pm).
“She’s very honest and it was another great run from her at Omakau.”
“Roxburgh doesn’t look any harder, so you’d like to think she would be another pretty handy chance again.”
Williamson also starts Sidorova and Shandon Bells at the Roxburgh meeting.
The trainer-driver’s brother, Nathan Williamson, starts the favourite in the Peters Genetics Roxburgh Cup in Miraculous.
The four-year-old clashed with the impressive Built For Glory in last week’s three-year-old feature at Gore, running second.
Miraculous produced a courageous second in his prior outing at Ascot Park on Invercargill Cup Day.
Miraculous is the 20m backmarker in the Roxburgh feature, giving key rival Amaretto Franco a 10m head start.
The Canterbury mare made two mistakes in her last start in the Gore Cup, but still managed a creditable fourth.