Stacey White can look at racing from both sides now
The former writer and current trainer sends out one of the favorites for the Inter Dominion trotting series.
by Adam Hamilton
Stacey White has spent much of her life covering major races, now she’s winning them herself.
White went straight from high school into a media and marketing role with Harness Racing New Zealand where she had eight years promoting and covering harness racing’s biggest events and brightest stars.
She has great memories of mega races like the Rowe Cup and Inter Dominion.
Now, in partnership with husband David, White has won a Rowe Cup and trains the equal favorite for the Inter Dominion trotting series in Bet N Win.
“It feels weird being on the other side, that’s for sure,” she said.
White, then Stacey Markham, was born into harness racing with father [Carl] and mother [Lyn] being hobby trainers, but the true career switch came when she met and later married an Aussie, David White.
“I’ve always loved horses,” she said. “Me and my two brothers fell in love with the industry as kids. I used to drive them in work, but I never looked at driving them as a career. My real love was grooming and looking after the horses.
“I met David when he came across to Christchurch on a working holiday in 2015. His plan was to spend six months here [in New Zealand] working with Graeme and Paul Court [a leading stable at the time] and then return to Sydney to start training himself. More than 10 years later and he’s still here, we’re married and training together.”
Throw in two young kids and “Team White” has a full dance card.
“We sure do,” Stacey said. “Lachlan turns 2 in August and Williams is 4½ months old. It’s been a manic time since William was born. David had six weeks away in Auckland with Bet N Win, so it’s been busy but for the best possible reason.
“When you’re a young stable starting out and you get a horse like Bet N Win, you have to make the most of it.”
Bet N Win, a 5-year-old son of What The Hill, is certainly doing his bit with 23 starts netting 13 wins, four placings and $415,009 in prize money.
He’s now in Brisbane preparing for the opening round of Inter Dominion heats at Albion Park on July 5.
Stacey calls it the trip of redemption.
That’s because Bet N Win came to Brisbane this time last year and brilliantly won the Stellar Square at Albion Park on July 6.
He was a dominant favorite to add the Group 1 Great Square the next Saturday, but things went awry.
“On the Monday we found he had an abscess, most likely caused by the damp because they’d had so much rain while we were there,” Stacey said. “As much as we tried everything, even x-rays to see if we would dig it out, we lost the race against time and had to scratch him.
“The whole trip was a heck of a rollercoaster ride, from the highs of that Stellar Square win, which we still value as one of our biggest highlights, to utter disappointment of having to pull the pin.
“We had such a huge team in Brisbane. David’s parents came up for a month from Sydney, all of our great group of owners in Bet N Win came over… the disappointment hit so many people. That’s what we’ve said since he won the Rowe Cup (on May 2), we’re going back to Brisbane to finish what we started.”
It hasn’t been all plain sailing for the Whites with Bet N Win since last year.
Yes, he’s won five races, but he also gave them plenty of headaches when below his best in two key Cambridge races in March and April.
“We’ve certainly developed a greater appreciation for the trainers who have been going through this for all these years when we were outsiders looking in,” Stacey said. “Getting back to Brisbane was the last thing on our mind after those Cambridge runs. The horse wasn’t at his best and David said he wasn’t recovering as well as normal.
“In the end, we found out he had a virus and then had to skip a couple of big races and see if we could get him right for the Rowe Cup. And that then became D-Day as far as the Brisbane trip went.”
A month between runs and tireless work and attention from David and Bet N Win returned to his best and won the Rowe Cup, regarded as one of the two iconic trotting races in New Zealand.
“It’s as sick as I’ve ever felt before a race, probably with nerves,” Stacey said. “That race meant so much, from the Brisbane plans to the list of champions I watched win the Rowe Cup when I was growing up and working at HRNZ. For him to come out and win it was awesome, the defining win of his career so far without a doubt.
“People said I had the hard job with a young one and newborn at home by myself, but I know the hard work and challenges David had with Bet N Win.”
The latest Aussie trip started on the best possible note when Bet N Win was barely out of second gear winning a Menangle race last Saturday.
“It was perfect,” Stacey said. “He flew from Auckland to Sydney and only had a few days there before the race, so to get away with what was a glorified trial was ideal. David’s made the trip with him and he’s thrilled with the way he’s come through it.”
Stacey, who now juggles being a mum with a key marketing role with breeding giant Woodlands Stud, said she wouldn’t miss being in Brisbane for the Inter Dominion.
“No way,” she said. “I’m heading over with the kids to join David the day before the first round of heats [July 4] and staying all the way through.”
Is that a show of confidence?
“We’re confident in the horse, yes,” Stacey said. “In saying that, it’s a fascinating and exciting trotting series because the key players come from different form lines and places.
“It is a bit hard to line them up, but all we can do is have our guy at the top of his game and so far, so good.”
The Whites have emerging pacer Betterthancash along as a travelling companion, but David warned not to sell him short.
“His target is the Rising Sun [next Saturday],” he said. “He ran a terrific second at Menangle the same night Bet N Win won and we think he’ll be very competitive in the Rising Sun if he can draw to use that early gate speed of his.”
If things go to plan, this time Stacey will be the subject of the story rather than the author.
And the trip of redemption will be complete.
