Top jockey important factor in owners' success
Top jockey important factor in owners' success
Invercargill car dealer Tom Kilkelly and wife Julie and Queenstown lawyer Alan Harper and his wife Kerry have won 30 races with horses campaigned from Jo Dalton's stable in the past eight years.
Jamie Searle is a long-time Southland racing writer. For more of his work head to the Southland Thoroughbreds
A group of southern racehorse owners have had a good run of luck with their Invercargill trainer and Christchurch jockey.
Invercargill car dealer Tom Kilkelly and wife Julie and Queenstown lawyer Alan Harper and his wife Kerry have won 30 races with horses campaigned from Jo Dalton's stable in the past eight years.
Eighteen wins have been with top jockey Samantha Wynne in the saddle.
Dalton said the Kilkellys and Harpers were great clients.
In recent years they have sourced horses with potential through their association with Cambridge Stud owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay.
The horses they brought south were well educated, Dalton said.Â
"We don't have too many problems with them, nine times out of 10 they're straight forward horses," Dalton said.
"If they haven't done a lot of racing, we can take our time with them and figure them out."Â
Being able to secured Samantha Wynne to ride the Kilkellys and Harpers horses was an important factor, Dalton said.
"She gets on so well with them [the horses], they just click."
The Kilkellys and Harpers' first win from Dalton's stable was with Take Fire in a maiden race at Wyndham in 2015. Take Fire went on to win the 2016 Clare Memorial Gold Cup at Omakau.
In recent years their winners have included Zendora, Jimmy Five, Leave It To Me and Sestina.
Their latest winner, Call Me Al, was ridden to victory by Wynne at Ascot Park on October 8.