Trevor’s trio heads to the beach

Troublesome knees have prompted top trotting filly Wanna Play With Me’s move to the beach .

The three-year-old, who’s won five from 15, has gone from Hayden Cullen’s stables at Rolleston to Regan Todd at Woodend Beach.

“She’s had problems with her knees,” says breeder and part-owner Trevor Casey, “and we had some vet advice to try training her in a straight line.”

A winner of over $70,000, Wanna Play With Me has had to battle it out against the likes of the dominant Five Wise Men. She was second to Aldebaran Floss in this year’s New Zealand Trotting Oaks and among her best wins was the Group 2 Sires Stakes Championship in 2020.

“She has great potential,” says Casey.

He has had many horses with Todd (Winterfell, Cheezel etc) and joining Wanna Play With Me in North Canterbury are two others, the well-performed Dracarys from John Dickie’s South Auckland barn and one win trotter Tyene, who was with Ken Barron.

“With Tyene we will try some different but probably end up breeding from her,” says casey.

Dracarys has been a proven performer for Casey, winning 17 from 53 and over $220,000 – much of it in Australia.

The five-year-old mare did race back in New Zealand against the likes of Krug and Dance Time earlier in the year for Dickie.

Now Casey’s keeping an open mind about her racing future.

“We’ll bring her up and see with the handicaps if she can still be competitive.”

Dracarys (Bettor’s Delight – Spirit of Art) is a half sister to the well-performed Spirit of St Louis (Sweet Lou – Spirit of Art) who is the only horse Casey has racing across the Tasman at the moment.

Like many of his horses (Winterfell, Kings Landing) Dracarys was named after the Game of Thrones phenomenon.

Another Spirit of Art progeny with a GOT connection is Azor Ahai. He is also back trialling after three starts including a second to Sugar Me at Addington in June.

Casey’s also a big fan of Sky Major. He raced the son of Art Major when he became the first and so far only only horse to win separate Harness Jewels as a two, three and four-year-old.

Now he’s hoping that he’ll be a stallion to be reckoned with.

“I’d have a dozen of his foals around the place,” he says.

He’s also expecting an influx in the next few months, having also bred to American Ideal and Lather Up among others.

Casey has literally had shares in hundreds of horses over the past 40 years.

As well as the likes of Wanna Play With Me and Azor Ahai he’s also looking forward to seeing the progression of a rising What The Hill two-year old, What The Bell who’s a half-brother to his millionaire trotting star Stent.