Leanne Edwards - "I'm hanging up the bridle"

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk 

After 40 years, Morrinsville-based trainer Leanne Edwards is calling time on her training career.

"I still love them (the horses) but it's time for a change," says Edwards, "I'm hanging up the bridle."

"I sold my last one (Cupids Arrow) last month."

Edwards' first winner was Grattan Royale in 1984. He ended up winning six from 24 and her headliner was Frugal Echo, who won 16 from 81 career starts.

"He was the best trotter I ever trained," she says.

In the early 2000s he was up against some of the country's best ever square-gaiters and was good enough to run second to multiple Group 1 winner Take A Moment on several occasions. He was also runner-up behind La Coocaracha in the 2002 Rowe Cup, to Lyell Creek in the 2000 Dominion and to Martina H in the 2003 Dullard Cup in Victoria.

Other good performers included Una Bromac, who was a Group winner in 2005, while the now 14-year-old Grey Stoke is a favourite.

"He won 11 races and I got a lot of satisfaction from winning with him," says Edwards, "he will be here till the day he dies."

Edwards never trained a huge team.

"I never had more than nine or 10 and in recent years it's been closer to four and five."

"There have been a lot of highlights."

"I love the grass track racing and I was fortunate enough to win a couple of Cups on the grass, one of them was in the (2007) Kumeu Country Cup with a horse for Mum called O K Miles.

Iwi Trouble was another "tough old horse" who did well on the grass track circuit, winning six races overall from 72 starts.

Edwards isn't sure what the future holds.

"I'll see what comes around the corner but racing's been very good to me and I've loved it."