Two great mates from Wyndham completed their climb to the top of New Zealand harness racing yesterday with Marketplace’s sensational win in the group 1 Sires Stakes Series Final on New Zealand Cup Day.
Marketplace proved himself to be a class above New Zealand’s 2yr-old colts and geldings with his powerful winning performance for trainer Regan Todd and driver Craig Ferguson.
The two men followed the same path into the harness racing industry, growing up in Wyndham and jumping the Menzies College fence to go and work horses at Young Quinn Raceway, before going on to employment with trainer Brendon "Snow" McLellan.
Fast-forward about 15 years and they combined for arguably the win of New Zealand Cup Day in an elite group 1 race.
"To get my first group 1 with Regan is extra special," Ferguson said.
"You could probably see on TV after the race I was getting a bit emotional.
"Regan was a few years older than me so we weren’t school friends but he kicked around with one of my cousins and I got to know him through the game and through working at Snow’s.
"When I started bringing my horses up to Christchurch we would stay at Regan’s and that is where the friendship has grown from, really.
"He brings horses south and stays with me, so we actually end up spending a fair bit of time together during the year."
Ferguson and Marketplace have formed a rare partnership considering the driver is based in Southland and the horse is with Todd in Canterbury.
But after getting a feel for the pacer earlier in his career on a trip south, Ferguson was not letting him out of his sights.
"When he came down south early on he was green but he gave me the feel of a really nice horse.
"At the time I thought this is the sort of horse I could win a group 1 race with, so I tried to stick with him.
"I am just grateful Regan and the owners have given me the opportunity."
Ferguson blasted Marketplace forward early in his race and the 2yr-old worked hard to find the lead.
The reinsman then elected to take cover behind Rubira and Blair Orange at the bell, a move that may have raised a few eyebrows on a red-hot favourite.
But when Marketplace dashed along the inner for his big win, he proved his driver had got his calculations spot on.
"He came out of the gate hard. Regan had been pretty happy with him during the week, so I thought we would drive him like the best horse in the race.
"I knew he would have to burn hard and to his credit, he has stuck on."
While Ferguson knew what he had in front of him, Todd was watching on nervously from the sidelines.
He admitted he was sceptical about Marketplace’s chances after he went so hard to find the early lead.
"That was unreal after that lead time. I thought he was history but he’s a super horse," Todd said.
Marketplace’s brilliant win handed a group 1 breeding win to northern commentator George Simon and his wife Maryanne who own the pacer’s dam Cullen Who with Tony Barron, Gordon McKenzie, Tony Clark and Michelle Scanlon.
The group bought the mare from Dunedin breeder-owners Kevin and Patricia Court after she won her first race as a 3yr-old.
