Hawkes Bay stable full to bursting

by Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk 

In Tracy Cadwallader’s words she now has “horses coming out my ears”.

That’s because the only harness racing trainer in Hawkes Bay has had an influx of horses to her stable.

“It’s hard to say no and I love the training side of it.”

And it’s bringing results. On Tuesday (Feb 16) she got the first placing of her training career when Easy Does It got up for third in race 3 at Palmerston North. It was her first podium finish in 20 starts, dating back to the late 1990s.

Back then she only had a few starters before changing tack and riding a lot of trackwork for a number of North Island thoroughbred trainers. She also took time out to have a family – she has a six-year-old.

Wednesday’s placegetter Easy Does It is owned by Merv Martin. Cadwallader and Martin have a lot of horses in partnership – “I train them and own half of most of them”, she says.

Eleven-race maiden Sipowicz (also owned by Martin) had a start for the stable at Manawatu as well, finishing fifth.

All up Cadwallader has seven horses in work, and two being broken in. There are also 10 broodmares on site, with Martin selling two yearlings at last weekend’s Karaka Sales - Halfasleep (Lot 26) went for $5000 and Lot 41 Busload Of Faith for $25,000.

“It never ends,” she says, “I have horses coming out my ears.”

Some of the barn’s newcomers are well-known, including one of her more recent acquisitions, Madame Connoistre. She now leases the six-year-old Bettor’s Delight mare with Martin, after she won three from 19 with Joshua Dickie.

They also lease Waingaro Ideal (one win – 6 starts) after the son of American Ideal had previous stints with Doug Gale and Nicky Chilcott.

Others in her care include the unraced trio of five-year-old Highview Tommy mare Amoreena, Blaze Maguire (3 B c Bettor’s Delight – Saccha Maguire), and Indisposed (2 B g A Rocknroll Dance – Mystic Potion).

The only trainer in Hawkes Bay, Cadwallader is well known for going the distance for her horses. She’s no stranger to doing the four hour round trip to the Palmerston North track as the 1000 metre track on her property isn’t suited to doing fast work.

"Everyone at Palmerston North has been so supportive, I can't thank them enough, Dan Lynch, John and Stephen Doody and everyone else have gone out of their way for us."

Home is a 30 hectare (75 acres) farm an hour’s drive from Hastings at the base of the Ruahine Ranges.

“A lot of horses love the rolling countryside – they do a lot better.”

In case you were wondering Cadwallader is “Welsh” – and yes it can be a pain having such a distinctive surname – “it drives me nuts sometimes”.

With more and more horses heading to the races it may well be a name you’ll get to hear a lot more of in the weeks and months to come.