By Duane Ranger (courtesy of the Wagga Harness Racing Club)
The owner of one of the largest private harness racing studs in Australia has trained his first winner of 2024 on his home track.
Alfredtown-based, Jake Stockton, nailed his 55th career victory when Blake Jones drove the gutsy Missaudacious to win the first race – the $10,000 RBD Maiden at the Wagga Harness Racing Club’s meeting at Riverina Paceway last Friday (November 15).
Missaudacious, a brown Shadow Play mare, had to be good to win after settling last from gate eight, before going to sit parked at the bell. The tough, but “raw’ 4-year-old justified her $2.60 favouritism by half-a-head.
She paced the 1,740-metre mobile in 2:04.6 with a personal best 1:55.2 mile-rate. It was just her first win in two starts after five nice trial wins this year.
Missaudacious is owned and was bred by Steve and Fiona Harris.
“I usually train all my own, but when I went to fix up a hay bill for Steve, he said don’t worry about it. Train this mare instead. I’m glad I did because she’s a promising pacer that can make city grade. She has quite a bit of potential, but she’s mentally really on two than four.
“She still a bit green. She was left out in the paddock for a long time and still has a lot of maturing to do. I think in time and with more racing she can develop into a fairly good pacer, who could line up against some nice mares in the future,” Stockton said.
The 40-year-old who owns Jake Stockton Breeding & Racing, said training was merely a side hobby to his Wingate Farm Standardbred Stud, which he runs with his longtime partner and hairdresser, Jess Francis. They have two children Jack (17) and Molly (14).
“We are now in our third season at Wingate Farm. I’m only really training to give Jack a ‘leg-up’ into the industry. He’s got his driver’s licence and will be out there on race-day very soon. he also does a lot of work for us at the Stud with our four stallions and 30 mares. He loves harness racing and I’m doing all I can to give him a good transition into the sport since he left Wagga Wagga State High School last year,” Stockton said.
Wingate Farm, is located at Alfredtown in the Riverina Region of New South Wales, and offers AI (artificial insemination) services for all fresh, chilled and frozen semen, transported semen, foaling down, yearling preparation, pre-training, rehabilitation services, stallion collection facilities, as well as agistment (long or short term).
Their stallions include: Father Nuno (1:50.8) – a full brother to Captaintreacherous; Tintin In America (1:56,2) – sire of the fastest mare in history, Shartin; trotter, Fast As The Wind (1:52.4) – by the breed changing sire, Cantab Hall; and Be Happy Mach (1:52.7), a super quick son of Mach Three.
“We breed to all 30 of our own mares. We are not afraid of diversifying, and that’s why we took a punt and bought Fast As The Wind from the USA this year. We bought him off the same owner as Volstad, who has done a good job in Australia. Fast As The Wind already has multiple bookings, and are excited about his future offspring,” Stockton said.
“We are also rapt with Father Nuno, who has also attracted close to a full book of mares in his first season,” he added.
Stockton said he actually sold Be Happy Mach as a yearling, and then he went on to become a multiple Group One winner, nailing 10 wins from 12 starts and amassing $344,935 in purses.
“He was such a good racehorse we couldn’t resist buying him back when he retired from racing. His first yearlings are going to the Sales this year,” said Stockton.
Wingate Farms mares are equally as impressive.
“We have had a close association with Kiwis over the years and bought three mares from there. They include Dancing Diamond (Bettors Delight – Asabella – In The Pocket); Minnie Moose (Bettors Delight – Magic Moose – Holmes Hanover); and O Baby (Christian Cullen – Braeside Lady – Artsplace). The latter two we got off one of New Zealand’s top standardbred breeders, and former Junior All Black, Braeden Whitelock.
“O Baby had a great Cup week. Her fourth foal – Mo’unga (by Bettors Delight – 1:58) – won the Kaikoura Cup and then ran a very gallant sixth in the New Zealand Cup the following week. It was an eye-catching run, because he seemed to be the only pacer running on from the back.
“And her six foal – Treacherous Baby (by Captaintreacherous – 1:55.7) – won the $200,000 Group One 3yo Sires Stakes Final, also on NZ Cup Day. O Baby is currently in foal to Tintin In America, and we are very excited about that foal which is due this month,” Stockton said.
“Mark Purdon has also bought two or three yearlings off us. So, you know you are doing something right when that harness racing genius wants your horses. He’s the best going around,” he added.
Born and educated in Wagga Wagga, Stockton said he was lured into harness racing by his grandfather Les, who also ran a standardbred stud, and then by his late father, Wayne, who had horses before he passed away when Stockton was just 10.
“I love horses because of them, and then when I left school I learned the harness racing trade from Bernie Kelly, who was the best trainer going around at the time. He had some nice horses like Lady Waratah, and he taught me all the intricacies of the sport.
“I had my first winning drive behind a millionaire pacer named Frith. That was an awesome way to start a driving career. I remember it vividly. It was at Young on February 24, 2012. I also drove a nice horse for Bernie named Hayden, who won six in a row.”
Because of his employment to both the bricklaying and later pest control industries, Stockton has only driven 22 winners from 171 starts since the 2011-2012 season. He also placed 37 times.
His best season in the bike was 2012-2013 when he saluted the judge nine times from 49 starts, and also recorded 13 placings.
Training-wise Stockton has conditioned 55 winners from 297 starts, and placed on 79 occasions for $333,552 in stakes. His best season came in 2016-2017 when he won 17 races from 68 starts, placed 17 times and netted $88,555 in purses.
“Racing is just a side-bar to our stud work. Like I said earlier I’m only really still doing it to give Jack a start into driving.”
He said the best horse he had trained was currently one of five he had in work.
“My Sweet Sabrina is right up there with the best mares in New South Wales when she’s right. She’s an Always B Miki mare out of Sabrina Bromac (Live or Die) and has won 10 of her 28 starts and placed in nine others ($92,814. She recorded her quickest winning mile rate of 1:51.3 when winning a $10,000 race at Riverina Paceway in September last year.
“Sadly, she hasn’t raced since January when running down the field in the Ladyship Cup at Melton. She’s slowly coming back to the races, and it’s just a matter of keeping her sound. If I can do that she should be back winning again,” Stockton said.
“I’ve also got a couple of young ones who both ran second at the Wagga Trials last Friday as well. They are Two More Diamonds (Bettors Delight – Asabella – In The Pocket), and Cyclone Bella (Art Major – Cyclone Kate – Mach Three). They are three and I drove them both.
“Cyclone Kate, was a lovely 1:50.3 New Zealand mare, who won 21 races, including seven in Australia,” Stockton said.
“Quality means everything to us here Wingate Farm, and that’s why I like working closely with New Zealand and the United States. As of last month, this was our third year in business, and now that we are becoming established I just want to keep improving our breeding and racing stock – even though racing is just a side-bar for us,” he added.
Footnote: Missaudacious will line up again at Wagga next Friday (November 22) in a mare’s heat, where she will be attempting to qualify for the $20,000 Final at Menangle in early December.
