Duchess Maria dazzles in Oaks win at Addington

By Michael Guerin

What was dazzling on the track was even more special in real life at Addington on Friday night.

The dazzle came from Duchess Maria who exploded home to win the $125,000 Yabby Dam Farms NZ Trotting Oaks in one of the best young trotter’s races you will ever see in this part of the world.

After an early burn that eventually saw Queensland Raffie Jay lead, Duchess Maria was close to last but with the early pressure up front and a cart into the race from Petite Amour helping Duchess Maria was just too fast in the last 100m.

When a three-year-old trotting filly has to break 56 seconds for her last 800m to win at the end of 2600m mobile you know they are the real deal.

She always has been this Duchess, small but comically fast when she lets loose but after a frustrating last year she has needed to be perfectly prepared by Nathan Williamson, who then also got the drive spot on too.

Fast and determined Duchess Maria will be back for the Derby in two weeks and it could be one of the highlights of this magical racing month we call November.

But as wonderful as she was we all know what the bigger, real life story is here.

There is barely a person reading this who didn’t feel sick to their stomach when Williamson, one of the most popular people in the game, hit the Alexandra Park track hard when about to win the Queen of Hearts behind Captains Mistress last December.

It looked horrible and for a few days after it was but the real toll of head injuries often aren’t the scars or stitches but what it robs the victim of later, sometimes forever.

None of us, not Williamson, his family, or his doctors, knew what price he would pay for that most bizarre of racing accidents.

So to see our friend back in the Addington stabling area, still annoyingly tall, always smiling and back to being the person he was a year ago, was the real trophy on display at Addington on Friday night and we all got to share it.

“It means a lot,” said Williamson, talking partially about what his filly has been through but also what he and his family have overcome.

Speaking of prices, there were two of them beaming in the winner’s circle after the Oaks in breeders and owners John and Katrina Price.

They breed wonderful horses, sell plenty of them and are two of the industry’s most astute breeders and contributors.

But they too have had to setbacks and only just this week.

They lost their champion broodmare Democrat Party just the day before, the dam of Republican Party and Tour Party dying while foaling a filly, who thankfully could be saved to continue the bloodline.

Katrina still fronted to speak at the World Trotting Conference on Thursday, representing the industry and New Zealand perfectly without a word of the misfortune the couple had suffered.

So just about every character in this little trotting fairytale has had to win their own personal battles to be re-united in the winner’s circle at Addington, giving us an Oaks to remember.

As it turns out being in the one-one was the pathway to glory in the other trotting features on Friday too as Kawatiri Trev made the most of a beautiful Bob Butt steer to win the Trotting Derby Prelude, Butt admitting after the race that taking on the fillies in the Derby is going to be another step up.

Northerner Duke Of Bourbon came from the same spot to outsprint the best southern juvenile trotters in the IRT Sires’ Stakes Prelude, getting the better of Eyes Wide Open late after the favourite had worked early.

But the expensive yearling purchase won with the hood still on and driver Zachary Butcher suggesting there will be another gear left if needed in next Friday’s final.

On a night of trotting magic our most exciting pacer Jumal also had a spin around in the Pacing Derby Prelude and paced a 1:53.8 mile rate for 1980m jogging winning by five and a quarter lengths.

It was like a trial at the races and the perfect trial at that.

On any normal night he would have been the horse everybody was talking about.

But Friday belonged to the trotters. And those who know how to overcome adversity.