By Duane Ranger (a Dad – just too proud)
Twenty-one years ago, almost to the day, my youngest daughter (of two) – Monika – accompanied me on a Waiuku Post job to nearby Taurangaruru. I was the local editor and Moni was eight, turning nine.
Mon just wanted to kill some time, so she came with me as I spoke to a local lady about her 26-year-old hack named ‘Scruffy’. It was a happy little human-interest story for the Franklin region.
This day was the start of Monika’s love affair with horses. I instantly saw a bond, a happy face, and a connection. Mon was always very kind to our cat ‘Wes’, but this was a whole new dimension. Her first interaction with the equine breed will stay with me forever.
I had written about harness horses since 1999 for Sunday News and the Waikato Times, and Moni continually asked me about the horses. That’s when our good family friend, the late Tongan legend, Tom Saia, stepped in.
Monika being half Tongan inspired Tommy. He even gave Mon her first helmet and offered her regular visits to his Royal Doulton Drive stables any time she wanted.
“You will be a Tongan star one day,” he joked with Monika long before his sad death in 2013.
Moni and I attended Tom’s Pukekohe funeral, and from there her love of horses grew even more. Soon after she was coming with me to local race-meetings and before long had joined forces with Franklin Kidz Karts, where she learnt the trade alongside now open horsemen and women like Sean Grayling, Robbie Close, and Taitlyn Hanara.
Mrs Gwen Robinson was another harness racing stalwart who inspired Monika.
Mrs Robinson, who was the wife of the late harness racing legend Max (of Greg Robinson fame etc), donated her husband’s silks for Moni to drive at Kidz Karts. She donned those famous red and white-spotted colours throughout her Kidz Kartz career.
Sean Grayling’s father Tony, and Pukekohe trainers, Paulette Screen and Paul Chalklen, taught Moni all the initial intricacies of harness racing. They lit her enthusiasm fuse even more, and before long Moni was driving at tracks like Alexandra Park, Cambridge Raceway, Ruakaka, Thames, and even Redcliffe Paceway while visiting her paternal grandparents in Brisbane.
In fact, Moni loved Kidz Kartz, and in her teens was also a regular side-kick with me most nights at Alexandra Park. I’ll never forget this quote as we headed to the Thames Kidz Karts races one day.
“You are stupid Dad! Now I’m late for my race at Thames. Did you not know that there would be road-works on this bridge?!!! You are never late for race-meetings at Alexandra Park, yet you have cost me a race today. I’m not happy with you!’
The Thames Bridge renovation cost Monika a race start but she did get to line up in race two. It was a silent car trip home though.
About 20 Kidz Kartz wins later, Monika was nearing the completion of her Year 13 school year at Pukekohe High School, and I saw an advertisement on Facebook from Suzanne Herlihy wanting someone to work at their ‘Strike Won Stables’ in Ardmore in South Auckland.
Moni was lukewarm on the idea and Mum said ‘No-Way’, but Monika’s love of horses won, and before long 18-year-old Moni was on a three-month trial. She passed that and then left home and lived at Herlihy stables.
For five years she learnt from the very best. Her time there was undoubtedly the making of her. She learnt to race quarters to the very second and even though she never drove in those initial years, she did have trial drives in 2020 and 2021.
In my opinion Tony Herlihy (MNZM) was the making of Monika. To me he is the greatest horseman I have ever seen in a 50-year harness racing obsession.
After the Herlihy education, Moni then ventured to be near her older sister, Hazel, in Newcastle for several months before returning home and working for the likes of Steven Reid and more recently Ray Green.
Monika had her first race-day drive in January 2022, and in doing so became the only female Tongan reinswoman in the world! She still holds that mantle – a very proud honour still for both her Tongan and Otago families.
Then after three placings Moni’s first winner came via the Zachary Butcher-trained and Lynette Philpott-owned Call Me Trouble on February 25, 2022.
How ironic it was that three years and almost five months later (1,232 days) Moni notched up her 50th career win (July 11, 2025) at the same venue, and behind another Butcher-trained and Philpott-owned standardbred.
This time it was the talented 5-year-old daughter of Sweet Lou and Kamwood Blue Chip (Christian Cullen), Mantra Blue (see race video below). It was Monika’s fourth Alexandra Park win (also June 6 and 20 this year, and September 13, 2024) behind the talented Woodlands Stud-bred brown mare.
The green with the red spots and white-sleeved silks will forever be sentimental to the Sydney-based Philpott and New Zealand and Australian-based Ranger families.
“Watching Monika win again in my father’s colours on such a wonderful occasion gives me a lot of joy. I could not be happier. It’s so wonderful having a horse with the ability of Mantra Blue (1:54.8). She’s now won nine of his 18 starts and almost $180,000 in stakes, but the main part is having a great trainer like Zachary – and two wonderful drivers like him and Monika.
“They both have the ability to bring out the best in the horses they drive. As an owner, I consider myself very fortunate to have Mantra Blue with such dedicated and caring people who really love their work.
“Dad, whose name was Linden Little, first used those silks in 1958. I ran the race at Bulli for 12 years, and the Linden Huntley Little Memorial was named after my darling father,” Mrs Philpott said.
“I cheered for Monika as hard as I possibly could. She’s a beautiful young lady. If Monika comes over to Sydney, I would love her to visit me. We could share some horse stories,” she added.
Mrs Philpott said seeing her Dad’s colours race in New Zealand was so heartening.
“When my horse Zeus Bromac won the Breeders Crown we could not use our colours due to Covid. It was great to see Monika win in them during Covid behind Call Me Trouble.”
Mrs Philpott has owned some nice standardbreds over the years including the 2005 Auckland Cup and New Zealand Free-For-All champion, Howard Bromac; and the 2020 Breeders Crown 3yo champion and multiple Group One winner, Zeuss Bromac.
“Mantra Blue would be in the top three. She was only beaten a nose in the New Zealand Oaks, and was second in the Group One Nevele R Final that same year at Addington,” said Mrs Philpott.
“It’s just so great to win any race no matter how small. It’s just a lovely feeling to win and the wonderful people you meet along the way. I can’t wait to meet beautiful Monika,” she added.
Monika was born in Dunedin on the same day as her mother and maternal grandmother – Litea and Naumatoto (Moni’s second name) – on October 14, 1995. She was educated at both St Joseph’s Primary in Pukekohe, and then Pukekohe High School. She is now aged 29 and has been a Junior Driver for almost four seasons.
Earlier this year she got engaged to Pukekohe trainer and farrier, Shane Butcher.
Her 50 wins have come from 370 starts. She has also ran second 29 times and finished third on 38 occasions. Her current stake earnings sit at $684,043 and boasts a healthy UDR-strike-rate of .2429. She has won 18 races from 100 starts behind trotters.
Thirteen of her lifetime wins have come in 2025 from 62 starts, including six behind trotters. Moni is now just three wins shy of her personal best achieved last season. She currently boasts an impressive and personal best .3333 UDr strike-rate in 2025.
Her season breakdown is 2024: 16 wins (six trotters) from 152 starts, 47 placings and $297,378.
2023: 13 wins (five trotters) from 91 starts, 10 placings and $145,476.
2022: 8 wins (one trotter) from 65 starts, 13 placings and $80,058.
Her biggest win to date came via the Mathew White-trained Lord Popnjay at Alexandra Park on March 7 this year in the Listed Dunstan I Can Doosit Handicap Trot.
In fact, Lord Popnjay has been her most successful horse to date, giving her eight wins.
Her most loyal trainers have been Shane, Zac, David, and Ben Butcher; as well as Matthew White, Owen Gillies, Jeremy Young, and Jason Teaz.
As well as competing in two New Zealand Junior Driving Championships (2024 and 2025), Monika also drove and co-trained the Shane Butcher and Laura Dalgety-owned Itaintnecessarilyso to win the $100,000 TAB Golden Gait Trot at Alexandra Park on December 20 last year.
Moni’s most successful track is Cambridge Raceway where she has reined 26 winners compared to Alexandra Park’s 23. She has also saluted the judge at Hawera on February 2 last year.
MONIKA HAS TWO DRIVES THIS WEEK……
Cambridge Raceway on Thursday, July 17 – Race 6 – The Owen Gillies-trained OHOKA ACHILLES (6).
Alexandra Park on Friday, July 18 – Race 8 – The Ben Butcher-trained WALTZING WITH MIKI (6).
FOOTNOTE: How ironic after all these years, Monika is now based adjacent to the Franklin Trotting track, just a stone’s throw from where the late great Tongan – Tom Saia – believed in her long before anyone else knew of her.
Monika’s 50th career win:
Mon’s 50th interview thanks to Track Chat NZ: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19R8FeRQS8
