When you think of trotting in the north, you immediately think of Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett.
The couple that currently leads the new -Zeeland trotters -trainers Premiership operates from their stable in Waiuku, with the help of the beach nearby.
Michelle is a Hamilton girl and would always be in the armor industry.
“Dad trained in Claudelands. As long as I can remember, that was always what I was going to do,” she said.
After leaving school, Michelle worked for Kevin Shaw in Cambridge and then Robert Asquith.
She then ventured to the south for a Stint with Jack Carmichael in Christchurch before returning home to work for her father Errol who trained 115 winners, of which 77 were trots.
“Dad used to get many people old casts and played with it. He specialized in the carriers because he was a farrier.”
Bernie’s father (Mick) was a Dairy Farmer and Hobby Trainer. Bernie started life in tangiteria in North Auckland, where the Great Pacer Checker Board was born.
“Dad had horses with the late Kevin Holmes. Dave Jessop got him in the game and I worked for Dave a few years later. I left the school and worked on dairy farming, but dairy cows was not for me.
Bernie has driven 58 winners. His first in Howera in April 1988 was super brave, which he also trained. Ten days later, Michelle had the first of her 242 -moving victories with Turama ten in Morrinsville.
The best horse that Bernie has trained was Gypsy Vance who won fifteen.
“He was my first horse. I was quite lucky to really get him. I rode him in a qualifying test after the last race in Rakaka. He did anything but on his head. We had a beer in the president room with Jacky Johnston, the man who owned him.
Feature victories for Gypsy VANCE include the Kumeu Stakes from 1987 and the Franklin Cup 1988.
“Joe Goodyer’s Horse Race Ruler was completely anger in the use of Wattyl (Kumeu) and we got up and won it. He also came in second place to Neroship in the Auckland Cup.”
Bernie also had good success with Southern Man, who won thirteen races.
“I bought him from Brian Gliddon. I was always looking for a trotter and a group of us bought him. He really did well.”
Michelle has trained 323 winners on his own account, 150 of those carriers. Bernie’s trained 123 including 57 trotters. The partnership has won 397 races, 359 went to Trotters.
Michelle has trained three Group One winners – The first was the National Trot 2004 with Paris Metro.
“Lyell Creek was the favorite. I remember the night. Mark Purdon stayed with us with Jack Gift and Light n Sound and they race a little later. Bernie recorded the early and I brought Mark’s two a little later in the race. That was quite special,” she said.
8/8 In the bet, Paris Metro came along the outside of the track in the hands of Peter Ferguson to beat Allegro Agitato with half a neck with Lyell Creek a neck back in third place.
The ten -hectare large ownership Wallace and Hackett train of Bernie’s parents belonged.
“Before Daddy died, I came home. Michelle and I were then together. We tore the little track and did everything again,” said Bernie. “We have lived there for twenty years,” Michelle added.
The couple has a track of 600 meters and leases eight hectares next door. Karioitaha Beach is just ten minutes away.
Jogging happens at home or on the path next to it and the main ownership has a swimming pool. All the fast work is done on the beach.
“They learn to trot in a straight line. It tends to increase the size of their pass because they do not slide around a turn. In general, they don’t hit a straight line, so it gives them trust,” Michelle said.
Over the years, the beach has been the training field for a number of very good horses, both standard and thoroughbred.
Successful thoroughbreds are Ring The Bell who won the evening Guineas and New Zealand Derby, Solvit, who won the Cox plate of 1994 and double large Northern Steeplechase winner Golden Flare.
Although Michelle and Bernie have had the most of their success with trotters, some good pacers have been trained on the site.
“We have had a few good pacers over the years, such as Slyin and Waitfornoone. The quality of the Pacing supply was not so great, so we decided to concentrate on the trotters because we both love them. I was brought up with trotters, so we still got much from them, but we still say Pacers,” “
Waitfornoone’s victory in the Queen of Hearts 2006 was Michelle’s second group one winner.
A large number of their top positions such as Delft and Temporale started their career with Tony Herlihy.
“Tony is the big rider that he is, can feel that the beach or the straight line training will help them. Or if they are a big horse and struggle with his job, he likes to be outside here because he knows that this is best for the horse,” said Michelle.
Delft won two races for Herlihy before being sold to America.
“He was there for about twelve months, did not enter and never racing. They sent him back to Tony. Tony said the horse could not circumvent his track and thought the beach would be the best for him and as they say, the rest is history.”
Delft then won the Group One National Trot and the Inter Dominion Final 2016 in Moonee Valley.
“It was pretty special. He had been through the series undefeated in Auckland, but did not win the final. He won both heats and the final the year later. The final he won was a handicap and he started the rear Mark. Tony was the great driver he passed, Led and won.”
Temporal won twelve races for Michelle and Bernie, including two in Australia – the 2020 Group One Doulard Cup and a heat from the Great Southern Star.
“He came to us late in his career. He had won the National Trot and Rowe Cup. He just had small problems and we had the swimming pool and the beach. Tony thought that was probably the best for the old legs.”
Michelle’s other group one winner was IMA Gold Digger in the Nieuw -Zeeland 2010 that FFA trotted.
The victory of Massive Metro in the National Trot 2018 offered Michelle and Bernie their first Group One winner.
“We had a number of stable customers who were looking for a horse and we managed to fall for him and bought him. While the muscle mass does, he got better with the age and from Paris, Metro was even more special,” said Michelle.
Everything that is cashed in is a trotter who feels Bernie never reaches his potential. He arrived at the stable in April 2023 and won five races for the couple. He was also placed in three group races.
“He was a very good horse. He had speed like no other trotter we had. He could get from their backs and sprints like a pacer. He was the first (O’Driscoll) that was sent to us. They could not get him left -handed because he had had injuries. He did a good job to win what he did with us, “said Michelle. “And he still has a record of New Zealand,” Bernie added.
Over the years, Michelle and Bernie have built a strongly loyal customer base that now contains some of the biggest names to turn into it – such as Duncan McPherson from Aldebaran Park.
“He has been with us for a long time. We met Duncan when Chris Lang Sundon’s gift for the Inter Dominions (2011). The friendship has been there since then,” said Michelle.
And Pat Driscoll from Yabby Dam Farms also offers a lot of troubling stock.
“He has been great to train for. If they are not there, he says to move them further because many more young people come through.”
One of the longest customers of the couple was Don McKenzie.
“We may have trained for him for twenty years. He has just died recently. We are now training his wife for Sandra.”
McKenzie owned Genius who won seventeen races for Michelle.
“He was the first we got from Don McKenzie, he started that relationship. He didn’t win a big one for us, but he had had a few knee operations, so the swimming pool and the beach fit him. It took a while to work it out and we had to change his workload. We didn’t work on him like most horses.”
In recent years, Heather and Russell Steele Michelle and Bernie have provided a good stock of ‘Manchester’ horses.
“We have trained Manchester Lass who won the breeders (Northern Trotting Breeders Stakes) in Auckland. Her first two foals do not control much, but the last pair, Faith in Manchester and Manchester’s moment are two beautiful mares.”
Believe in Manchester has won twelve races for them and had a break, she is back to work.
“She starts working quickly in August and if I can discover what the handicaps will be, we can look at a few of the merren races in the south. I am not going down to start ridiculous disabilities. Other than that we will continue to go around Auckland and wait for the Big Mares race here (Queen of Diamonds),” said Michelle.
Michelle would like to win a Rowe Cup and a new Zeeland that Drafs Derby, while Bernie would settle on winning a Rowe Cup.
“We are run second (in the Rowe Cup) a few times and were bad luck. Hopefully it can happen one day.”
Promising three -year -old Trotter Illegal Love is a horse that has the few high expectations. He is from brutal babe, a half -sister to bet n. He has won three of his fourteen starts.
The biggest winner of the couple was Invictus (14).
“Unfortunately he did not take himself when he went to Australia because I thought he would have done it well. He was another who was not a superstar, but he was so consistent.”
Mazeppa, a trotter with which they have recently had success, was bought from Luk Chin.
“He was bought by a good friend from our Brent Lilley. He always stays with us when he brings horses up here. He trembled Mazeppa and bought him. He said we could train him and pick it up a victory to pay for his airline tickets to Australia. Two starts in Auckland and he failed miserably. ‘
Todd Mitchell has driven the most winners for Michelle and Bernie with a total of 142. Tony Herlihy is at 114, Michelle 94 and their daughter Crystal on a total of 71.
“Todd has been with us for a long time. It was good to find a driver who did not have a big team and was not dedicated to others (trainers). It is becoming a bit harder to have Crystal. We have to share them a bit now.”
Tyler and Crystal are the two children of the couple.
“Tyler finishes for us and further, but she doesn’t want to drive. She works in the equestrian world.”
Crystal forms its own career path and is one of the rising starts in the Harness Racing Driving Rangen. Last year she drove Mach Shard to Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan to win two races of group one in the space of a week.
“She did great. Barry has been a great proponent of her.”
So what does the future look like?
“We can look back in two or three years. We would scale back a while ago, then Crystal came in. We said we would go fast while she was still a junior. If she loses that (junior license), we will probably look at a little (laughter).”
Through Bruce StewartFor Harnesslink
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