Crusher Collins delivers at big odds

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk 

Who knew such a small field could bring such joy?

Yesterday at Invercargill just six trotters lined up in the Southland Batteries/All Purpose Engineering Mobile Trot over 2200 metres with Mataura trainer Lyndon Bond not only winning it with Crusher Collins - “I was rapt with the old girl” - but grabbing second as well with Tweedledee.

“It’s my first quinella actually, every winner is good but to go 1-2 was brilliant.”

It’s Crusher Collins’ first win since her namesake Judith Collins became National leader. That happened in July last year, Crusher the horse’s last win was in March 2020.

It was her sixth overall in 76 starts. These days the seven-year-old is all but confined to mobile starts, her standing start manners are marginal, at best.  

“It’s good to see her back … she can be a bit cantankerous but I reckon she can win another couple.”

With prominent local trotting trainers Nathan Williamson and Robert Wilson both taking horses to Addington’s Premier meeting on Friday night the field was down on numbers but even so Crusher Collins was not given much of a show – she was outsider of the field.

But she got a charmed run when things opened up at the 400, and then held on to win by a length. She paid $16 for the win.

As for Tweedledee – “he’s an everyday fella who has been up a long time and probably needs a little freshen up.”

It was Bond’s 26th win as a trainer. He has a team of seven that he juggles around his fulltime job as a supervisor at the local Mataura freezing works.

Fresh from his first ever quinella Bond was today playing golf with a number of other trainers and drivers though it seems the sport is not his forte

“I play off a 36 – I’m a bit rough.”