Ellie Barron caps off big week with winning double

By Jonny Turner 

Ellie Barron is having a great week for a part-time harness racing driver.

Barron reined home a winning double with Mostert and Mr President at Invercargill yesterday just days after being named the only Southland-based driver to make the New Zealand Junior Drivers Championships.

Those are excellent results for a horsewoman who fits her racing engagements around her full-time job as a physiotherapist.

While all of Barron’s commitments leave little room for spare time, all of her mahi has clearly been paying off.

“I work 8.30am to 5pm except for race days, I am lucky to have a boss who rides horses at a high level in Suzanne Black.”

“She is pretty supportive and she knows what it’s like to be away with horses.”

Barron had a plan when linking up with Mostert and it proved the key to turning an ordinary last-start effort right around.

With new tactics and improvement from that last run, the Shane Matheson-trained pacer pulled off a victory that shocked punters at 30-1 odds.

“I said to Shane that the horse doesn’t seem to have high speed, so we will drive him like a stayer.”

“I thought we would be sitting parked and if he fought on and ran third or fourth it would be a good effort.”

“He is still very green, he wouldn’t run away from the other horses when we were trying to cross to the lead and he was shying at a watermark at the track.”

“There is definitely improvement still in him.”

Barron next went on to score with front-running tactics behind Mr President.

Not seen at the races or trials since early October, Barron’s father Clark had the consistent pacer forward and ready to run a big race.

“We thought he might have needed that run, but it is a Mr President thing to do – to go a cheeky race when you weren’t expecting it.”

“He won’t get too many points for winning today, but he has shown he can handle the next grade up.”

“Hopefully he is in for a nice summer.”

Working around the commitments of her regular job, Barron has done a stellar job to qualify for the New Zealand Junior Driver Championships.

Initially she was hesitant about taking her place but the horsewoman was quickly talked into it.

“It is a little bit hard case, Kim Butt messaged me and said ‘you are going to make the junior champs.’”

“I always felt like I should let someone else have a go, but she said ‘are you going to be the first person to turn it down?’”

“I think I must have qualified with all my placings, because I am the queen of running third and fourth.”

Barron’s two Ascot Park wins took her to 11 wins and 41 placings in 2025.