The Dark Horse Trot confirmed for Invercargill next month

More than $120,000 will be at stake for the trotting Fillies and Mares in the South Island between now and the end of November, with confirmation that the inaugural Group 3 $40,000 ‘The Dark Horse’ will be run at Ascot Park on Sunday, October 20.

Hosted by the Invercargill Harness Racing Club, The Dark Horse will essentially be the second leg of a triple crown of trotting, sandwiched between the $25,000 What The Hill Mares Trotting Classic at Methven on October 6 and the $60,000 Group 2 Continental Event Hire Trotting Mares Handicap at Addington on November 29.

The three races follow yesterday's $40,000 Jasmyn's Gift, Oamaru's trotting feature for the three-year-old and older fillies and mares, won by Aroha Kenny.

Like the Jasmyn's Gift, The What The Hill Classic will be for three-year-old and older fillies and mares, while The Dark Horse and the Continental Event Hire Trotting Mares Handicap are for four-year-old and older mares.

"The Dark Horse fits perfectly into what is a pathway for the trotting mares," says Invercargill Harness Racing Club President Craig Heyrick, "the races are well spaced and there is good money up for grabs at each of those four races."

The race is named to honour stellar trotting mare Dark Horse, who retired in 2021 after winning 14 races and accruing $144,276 in stakes for Branxholme trainer Nathan Williamson and the Griffins Syndicate.

Despite batting leg issues for much of her career, Dark Horse took out the 2017 PGG Wrightson's Uncut Gems Trotters Classic, was third in the 2017 Group 1 4YO Ruby and was second to Muscle Mountain in the 2021 Fahey Fence Hire Summer Trotting For-For-All at Addington Raceway.

She placed on two occasions in the Group 3 Southern Lights and also recorded a NZ Mares' record over 1980m at Addington when winning the First Direct Taxis Mobile Trot in 2:24.7 in December 2020.

Now 11, she has a weanling Majestic Son colt called Guy Fawkes who is currently located at Branxholme, and she is back in foal to Majestic Son.

"She was a great mare and it's a fitting way to celebrate her achievements on the track," says Heyrick, "plus Nathan has been a big help in getting this race off the ground, specially in terms of picking the right time so this race complements rather than competes against the other fillies and mares' races."

“We never really saw the best of her," says Williamson, "there is no doubt if she was sound throughout her career she would have achieved more at the highest level.”

The conditions of The Dark Horse are as follows :

­Group 3, 4YO and older Mares Special Handicap Trot, 2200m
Of $40,000 ($22,000, $6200, $3600, $2100, $1200, others $700)
For 4yo-&-older trotting mares
Front: R35 to R60. 10m: R61 to R70. 20m: R71 to R80. 30m: R81 to R120