Nathan Williamson's remarkable "treble" at Albion Park on Saturday night

By Michael Guerin

Even in this land of the horse traders Nathan Williamson’s Saturday night might have set some sort of record.

Because the Southland harness racing trainer watched three different horses whose careers he launched each win Group 1s in the space of two hours, including both Inter Dominion Finals.

Williamson is the former trainer of Captains Mistress who managed to break local Queensland hearts by beating Leap To Fame in the A$1 million Ladbrokes Pacing Final at Albion Park on Brisbane.

Williamsom also bred, raced and then sold Gus, who 45 minutes earlier won the Trotting Final for local trainer Chantal Turpin.

Remarkably two races earlier another graduate of Williamson’s stable in Palladium won the Queensland Derby for new trainer Brad Hewitt, starting one of the more extraordinary trebles for horses exported from one stable at a single race meeting anywhere.

New Zealand racing is, of course, built on trading horses, with the lump sum boosts that come from selling a horse, particularly if the trainer owns all or part of it, having chipped away at plenty of mortgages over the years.

There are entire sectors of the thoroughbred industry set up for selling horses, predominantly to Australia or Hong Kong, and while the harness racing export market is far smaller in scale and financial reward, without selling many trainers would struggle.

“It is part of being a trainer here,” says Williamson.

“When you breed or buy a horse at the sales and you educate it and it goes on to be a really good horse you feel a real sense of pride.”

But doesn’t it also sting, watching somebody else get the glory you built the foundations for?

“Not at all, buying and selling horses is part if life here, for almost everybody,” says Williamson.

“And my situation with these three horses is different.

“Mick Boots, who owns both Captains Mistress and Palladium, is one of my biggest owners and a great bloke. 

“So when we buy these horses we expect most of them will eventually end up in Australia.”

Captains Mistress left under the most of unusual of circumstances as Williamson suffered a severe head injury driving her in a Group 1 at Alexandra Park last December in what was to be her last start for him.

The pair were set to win the Queen of Hearts when his sulky malfunctioned and Williamson face-planted into the track.

He still suffers minor mental fatigue from the scary incident but Captains Mistress was always going to be on a plane to Australian trainer Jason Grimsom anyway so Williamson was not stunned to lose her. 

“She was a very fast filly over here but she has gone to a new level over there for Mick and I am stoked for him,” he says of Saturday’s track record win over the beautifully brave Leap To Fame.

Palladium’s journey from Southland to the Sunshine state was far quicker, with the three-year-old recording his third win from nine starts at Winton back on May 24. 

“He is also owned by Mick and I suggested to him it was a good time to send him across [to Australia] as he could be a Queensland Derby horse,” says Williamson matter-of-factly.

While neither of those Group 1 winners left Williamson because of a sale new Interdom trotting champ Gus did, having being bred by Williamson.

“His dam [Kylie Ree] was a good filly who won a Harness Jewels and I did a deal with the owners to breed a foal from her and that turned out to be Gus. 

“He won his second start for me after losing a big stretch at the start and we sold him off the back of that.

“It wasn’t life-changing money but we got a good price for a four-year-old maiden trotter so it was a good sale and obviously turned out to be a good buy.

“So everybody is happy.”

The reality of New Zealand racing for so many participants summed up in a few sentences.

And as they, and Williamson know, when you sell or develop horses that make people’s dreams come true, the phone will one day ring again.