Personal bests for the 2020-21 season

A total of 76 trainers and drivers achieved personal bests in the 2020-21 season. 

A search of Harness Racing New Zealand records for the season show that 25 drivers had their most wins in a season, as did 51 trainers.  

As well as having their best seasons Ben Hope (40) had his first Group One victory with Muscle Mountain in the Fred Shaw Memorial New Zealand Trotting Championship, as did Benjamin Butcher (44) with Enjoy Me in the Sires’ Stakes 3YO Filllies Final, and then B D Joe at the Harness Jewels.   

Second to Blair Orange (179) in the premiership,  John Dunn had his best season in the sulky with 141 wins, including nine with Five Wise Men and seven with Sundees Son. 

Tim Williams (93), Sam Ottley (82) and Robbie Close (65) also had their best seasons as did the country’s stand-out junior driver Sarah O’Reilly (57).   

Of the trainers Robert Dunn was a runaway leader of the premiership, winning it for the second season in a row. He had a career high 124 training successes, eclipsing his previous best haul of 121 in 2016. 

Among the others to have had their best ever seasons were Arna Donnelly with 37, beating the 33 she had in 2019. Among Amber Hoffman’s best return of 23 wins was taking out the very last race at Forbury Park with Dodgethebullet. 

Woodend Beach trainers Regan Todd (43), Matt Purvis (28) and Bob Butt (19) also had their best seasons, as did the Southland-based Nathan Williamson (48), Alister Black (19) and Craig Ferguson (15). 

See below for a full list of the trainers and drivers who had their best ever seasons in 2021.

Trainers

Drivers