From Mataura to Brisbane: Millie’s Inter Dominion debut

[Wandering Eyes]

Millie Bond’s love of harness racing started young. One of her earliest memories is sitting on her dad’s lap as he jogged a horse called Crusher Collins around their home track in Gore.

“I had a big smile on my face,” she says. “It was the first time I felt the excitement of being on a horse moving.”

Now 16, Millie is chasing that same feeling, this time on one of harness racing’s biggest stages.

On Saturday night, she will represent New Zealand in the ID25 Mini Trots Championship Final at Albion Park in Brisbane. Held as part of the Inter Dominion Grand Final meeting, the event brings together young drivers from across Australasia. Millie is New Zealand’s sole representative and has been invited straight into the final.

“I was so excited and a bit shocked when we got the call,” she says. “It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I couldn’t believe it at first.”

The phone call came on June 19, while Millie and her mum Aimee were at the races. Danny Blackmore was on the line to deliver the news.

“We were absolutely over the moon,” says Aimee. “It was surreal. She’s worked so hard for this, and to see it pay off is incredibly special.”

Millie has been part of Kidz Kartz Southland for the past three seasons, but horses have always been part of her life. Her father Lyndon has trained 78 winners from his Mataura base, and she comes from a long line of Bonds involved in harness racing  with the sport woven through her family for generations.

Growing up in a harness racing household taught Millie more than just how to drive.

“She’s very aware and respectful when handling animals, especially ones she doesn’t know,” says Aimee. “She’s cautious but confident. Safety and horsemanship are second nature to her now.”

Ponies George, Doc and Bingo

Millie started Kidz Kartz with two ponies, Bingo and Doc, gifted by Jamie and Natalie Gameson. She still remembers winning her first cup race with Bingo at Riverton.

“We were wide on the grass track and I tried to save his sprint until the last 150 metres,” she says. “He just got up on the line. My heart stopped when I heard the commentator say I’d won, it was such a shock.”

These days, her regular drive is George (race name The Ginga Ninja) a pony her uncle Graham Bond broke in. George was “a bit hitchy” behind at first, but after a lot of work, the pair found their rhythm. Last season, George won ten races, including the Wyndham Kindergarten Kidz Kartz Series Trophy.

“He’s been a bit of a project,” Millie says, “but he’s come a long way.”

Behind the scenes, Millie’s also putting in the work to turn her passion into a career. Through the Gateway programme, she now spends Thursdays at Tony Stratford’s stable in Gore and Fridays at Telford in Balclutha, gaining hands-on experience in areas like stable management and horse care, a natural next step from what she’s learned through Kidz Kartz and at home.

“The Gateway programme has been a great addition to my learning,” she says. “Being at a different stable gives me new experiences, because everyone has different ways of doing things. It’s helped me grow as a driver, and I know I’ll always have a passion for harness racing.”

That development is something her parents have noticed too.

“Her attention to detail really stands out,” says Aimee. “From how she presents her ponies to how she prepares for races, she’s so focused and meticulous. It’s that kind of dedication that’s gotten her to this level.”

When asked who she looks up to, Millie doesn’t hesitate.

“Samantha Ottley. She’s a legend and such a great ambassador for our sport. She’s also driven a lot of winners for our family, including Step It Up A Notch when she won on Show Day. I’d love to be like her one day.”

Now, with the final looming, Millie will step into the sulky with a new pony, on a new track, under the lights of one of the sport’s biggest nights.

She’s ready.

“I might be a bit nervous once I get out there,” she says, “but I’ll do my best.”

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