Curtin’s poignant victories at Addington

[Wandering Eyes]

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk 

The late Murray Edmonds is never far away from Jim Curtin’s thoughts and that’s what made yesterday’s successes at Addington all the more special.

Curtin had a driving treble at Addington, with two of the wins coming from two ex-Edmonds horses that he now trains, Izacheapee and Teds Legacy.

“I think of him every time I see his horses …it’s terrible what happened.”

The double came just weeks after Murray Edmonds died from a brain tumour, aged 62. His death shocked the harness racing community and such was the support for the Edmonds family that a fund-raising event at Addington, organised by Curtin’s wife Sandi among others, was sold out in hours.

“We go back to the old days in Wellington,” Curtin said of his friendship with Edmonds, “it was a few years ago now, I don’t want to count them.”

After Edmonds’ death his horses were divided among a number of stables.

Izacheapee, a two-year-old filly, had her first win in just her second start. She zipped up the passing lane to win the Happy Birthday Murray Hamilton/Morrison’s Saddlery Pace, while Teds Legacy led all the way to take out the last race, the Neville McNee Memorial Mobile Pace. It was his third win in 35 starts.

Both wins appropriately came at the Banks Peninsula Trotting Club meeting though they were not at Motukarara where Edmonds was based. Sunday’s original meeting there had to be transferred to Addington because of surface flooding on the track.

Curtin’s other win was for another good mate in Jeff Whittaker in the McArthur Ridge Southern Tor Pinot – Triple Trophy Mobile Pace.

It was a Whittaker quinella with Curtin’s drive Special Dream winning and Moet Shard getting up the passing lane to finish second.

It was Moet Shard’s fourth placing in eights starts after she sold for $280,000 at the NZB Standardbred 2020 National Yearling Sale. 

As for Curtin’s three-win performance – how did he sum it up?

“It was a good night, I can’t complain.”

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