Nathan Williamson's "biggest night" as a trainer

By Michael Guerin

The two glamour girls who combined for the greatest night of Nathan Williamson’s training career could hardly be heading in more different directions.

Because while Captains Mistress is Queensland bound after her stunning win in the Magness Benrow Sires’ Stakes Final her two-year-old trotting stablemate Duchess Maria is heading back to the Southland cold, possibly with a bonus race at Addington on the way.

Both fillies were sensational in their own ways, giving Williamson a Group race double as Duchess Maria took out the $50,000 IRT Young Guns Trotting Final before Captains Mistress won the richest race at the delayed meeting.

“Obviously Captain Mistress won the two-year-old version of this race last season and that was my richest training win so to win the three-year-old final tonight and have the other filly win the Young Guns, this is my biggest night as a trainer,” says Williamson.

“We only have 22 in work and are getting a better standard of horses around us and that means we can target races like these ones.

“Things have changed for us having Mick Boots on board as an owner but we have plenty of other loyal owners too who have been with us a long time and we are trying to get them into a better horses so we can aim at the big meetings.”

While Williamson’s colours are feared where ever he goes in the South Island he has found Alexandra Park wins elusive so Saturday night’s double mattered.

“We came up here with three good three-year-olds last season and went home with our tail between our legs so it is very satisfying to get the job done this time.

“I elected to let Captains Mistress miss the Oaks up here to target this race so to have it pay off means a lot.

“She is a very good filly as everybody knows and when they were going so hard in the early stages and she was getting that perfect run I knew she’d be hard to beat.”

Captains Mistress will now head to Queensland to be trained by Grant and Trista Dixon on loan for the winter, with the Oaks races at the carnival there in her sights.

“I think it will be perfect for her, she will learn a few things and develop and she is a filly who does very well when she spells so if I was taking her home and bringing her back up again, she would take a lot of getting the weight off.

“So the plan is for her to go there then come back for our feature races at the end of the year.”

Saturday night’s Group 1 was set up for Captains Mistress as those up front played cat and mouse and left themselves struggling when the Southlander swooped.

But it may not be a coincidence after a hard autumn the first two home in the Sires’ Stakes were fillies who had missed the Northern Oaks and the hard racing of the last two months.

Duchess Maria’s win was a rare example of a trotter starting its career with a win in Southland and then straight to The Park and Williamson says her busy time may not be over yet.

“She will fly back to Christchurch on Sunday afternoon and have an easy few days but if she recovers well she could even start at Addington next Friday,” he said.

“There isn’t a lot else for her and soon she will have a spell and get ready for the back end of the season but she has a real motor and it is very exciting.”