Canada earned international bragging rights as James MacDonald wins World Driving Championship.
by Adam Hamilton
A huge Addington crowd gathered on Tuesday (Nov. 11) to watch if a champion could win this New Zealand Cup.
Instead, they saw a changing of the guard and a possible birth of a new champion.
The mighty Leap To Fame, Down Under’s undisputed pacing “King” for the past three years, was dethroned for the second successive time in a major race by young buck, Kingman.
In contrast to the Victoria Cup at Melton on Oct. 18 when Kingman had the drop on Leap To Fame, this time he was simply better than him.
While Leap To Fame did a power of work outside the leader, Republican Party, Kingman worked even harder coming three-wide without cover for the last 1,400 meters and powering past him an epic finish to one of the great $1 million New Zealand Cups.
It was an astonishing performance.
“Tell me a better New Zealand Cup win?” said Kingman’s trainer/driver Luke McCarthy. “Surely that’s one of the best. And he’s still getting better, this horse. Look at him, he still goofed around a lot, hung badly a few times, but knuckled down when it mattered.
“I was cruising with 600 meters to go despite being wide and I could see the other drivers were starting to ask, but I also knew Leap To Fame would just keep finding.
“It was a mighty effort from this horse to keep coming and coming and get past a champion like Leap To Fame.
“He’s a very special horse. The sort of horse who could come back here and win it again and again.”
McCarthy, who has achieved about everything in Australia and won a World Trotting Derby in the U.S., said the win ranked alongside anything in his career.
“Amazing,” he said. “So special. This is one of the great races in the world. You talk about Elitlopps and Little Brown Jugs and this race, for its history and the occasion it is, sits up with them.
“It’s one of those races you dream of winning as a driver. It’s only my third drive in it. I ran down the track on Washakie and third on For A Reason.
“To come back and win it with this guy, especially when the trip really came out of nowhere, makes it extra special.
“It wasn’t like we planned to come. It was only after he won the Victoria Cup three weeks ago, we even thought about coming.
“I’m so thrilled for Mick [Harvey, owner/breeder]. He’s so passionate and he really wanted to come and have a crack at it.”
Harvey, who won three Miracle Miles and two Hunter Cups with King Of Swing, said the New Zealand Cup topped everything.
“It’s a dream come true,” Harvey said. “It really is. The time I had with King Of Swing and Hectorjayjay were fantastic, but this horse is just so special to me.
“He’s the first horse I ever bred… I call him my first born. I’ve loved him and his potential since day one, but he’s needed time to mature.
“These past three months or so have just been amazing. He’s just a freak and he’s showing everyone now.
“Look what he did today. To give them all a start, sit wide for so long and run past them.
“It’s hard to imagine a bigger thrill than this.”
Leap To Fame was so brave in second spot, while star Kiwi pacer Merlin loomed as the winner with 100 meters to go but had to be content with third.
Kingman will stay in New Zealand for the Group 1 Christian Cullen on Nov. 21 then have a short break.
“It’ll be a freshen up more than anything because we’re heading to Victoria where they’ve got a big bonus on a series of their Cup races, which start in early January,” McCarthy said.
MACDONALD WINS WORLD DRIVING CHAMPIONSHIP FOR CANADA
Canadian superstar James MacDonald said his second World Driving Championship crown matched his first for thrill.
MacDonald came from behind Australian champion Gary Hall, Jr. in the middle stages to comfortably win the 20-race series, which culminated with the last heat at Addington’s iconic New Zealand Cup meeting on Tuesday.
Jaap Van Rijn from The Netherlands was third with Kiwi hero Blair Orange a close fourth.
USA young gun Brett Beckwith, or “BB” as he became known Down Under, won an army of fans with his personality. He finished eighth.
“To win it once was a thrill, to make it twice is amazing,” MacDonald said. “I thought the first one would be hard to top being at home in Canada, but this has been really special, too.
“It’s been an amazing bunch of drivers and great people. The times off the track have been as good as on it and that’s a big part of what these series are all about.
“The fact the series is here [in New Zealand] has given the likes of Gary [Hall, Jr.], Blair [Orange], Brett [Beckwith], and myself a bit of an advantage because we’re used to the mix of pacers and trotters.”
Hall, Jr. said contesting the series was a career thrill.
“I’ve been in lots of these types of series before, but it’s the first time I’ve represented my country and I was counting down the days, to be honest,” he said. “It didn’t disappoint. Sure, I’m competitive and would love to have won it, but James was so strong in the second half of the series and it’s a thrill to be on the podium with him and finish second.”
It was confirmed Canada would play host to the next World Driving Championship in 2027.
FINAL STANDINGS:
168 James MacDonald (Canada)
151 Gary Hall, Jr. (Australia)
141 Jaap Van Rijn (Netherlands)
136 Blair Orange (New Zealand)
132 Mats Djuse (Sweden)
120 Pierre Vercruysse (France)
119 Michael Nimczyk (Germany)
115 Brett Beckwith (USA)
112 Giampaolo Minnucci (Italy)
104 Santtu Raitala (Finland)
GUS TAKES GROUP 1 DOMINION TROT
That was the win Gus promised to deliver.
The former Kiwi trotter returned “home” to upstage a stellar field with a sparkling display of speed and stamina to win New Zealand’s biggest trotting race, the $400,000 Group 1 Dominion Trot, at Addington.
It was a career highlight for powerhouse Queensland couple Pete and Chantal McMullen, who have achieved so much at home, but spread their wings in stunning style this time.
Gus started his career with master Kiwi trotting trainer Phil Williamson in New Zealand before being sold to Australia after two starts.
“We loved him as soon as we got him,” driver Pete McMullen said. “The speed he had was amazing. But it’s been a process getting him to contain that speed and use it without doing things wrong and galloping.”
Their patience was rewarded with a breathtaking display.
Gus came from near last to loop the field three and four-wide and thrash his rivals.
Pete McMullen was overawed by the occasion.
“What about this… I don’t know what to say,” he said. “I thought we were coming to a big race, but I had no idea it would be like this.
“This is unreal, we don’t have anything like this at home. It’s going to take a while to soak in.
“The pace suited, as long as they came up for air at some stage so I could get into it and thankfully they did.
“He showed all that speed of his when I let him go, but it seemed a long way down the home straight after hitting the front so soon.”
But Gus just kept going to easily beat Kiwi pair Mr Love and Oscar Bonavena with Jilliby Ballerini a brave and luckless fourth after being caught behind a tiring leader Arcee Phoenix in the last lap.
He gave a pointer to today’s performance with a monstrous fourth to Arcee Phoenix in the Brisbane Inter Dominion final on July 19.
