Horse racing: 'Biggest upset in history': 100-1 Kiwi horse shocks racing punters

Harness Racing Magic Four (2nd from right) winning the $200,000 Harness Millions three-year-old at Alexandra Park. Trish Dunell

Steven Reid had only one regret when Magic Four produced one of the greatest upsets in harness racing history at Alexandra Park on Saturday night.

The previous one-race winner out-toughed Franco Mac but more surprisingly hot favourites Akuta and Franco Indie in the $200,000 Harness Millions three-year-old, the glamour event of a windswept night at Alexandra Park.

The shock was total and absolute, with even Reid admitting he gave the son of Bettors Delight no chance against two of the most hyped three-year-olds of recent years.

Which is where the regret came, that training partner Simon McMullan couldn't be there to share the biggest win of their joint career together.

"We didn't think he could beat those top two," admitted Reid.

"So with a big weekend looking at yearlings and sales on Sunday, Simon stayed home at the stables and to do his prep.

"We will get a chance to celebrate it together for sure but he is kicking himself now."

Reid joked even winning driver Peter Ferguson would have been happy to have not been at Alexandra Park had the huge upset not occurred.

"I rang Ferg to chat about the race today (Saturday) and when he answered he said, 'I thought you were ringing to tell me he was scratched so I didn't have to drive up.

"It was that sort of win. We all really like the horse and he had been great here on New Years Eve but when you are up against two as good as Akuta and Franco Indie you don't expect to win."

Reid has won $200,000 races or even those worth more before back in the Gold Ace and Monkey King days but they are still a big deal and comes at the perfect time, a reminder to owners purchasing at the sales this week what talented horse people he and McMullan are.

"We don't have a huge team at the moment so there is room for more." Ironically Magic Four had been under off to Australia but Reid is hoping after the win he stays on for the Derbys.

So how did the upset happen? Well, there were no obvious reasons.

There was early pressure on Franco Indie, who was expected to lead easily but he still held that lead. But the burn gave Akuta the chance to get off the markers and he surged to the lead after 600m.

From there the two hot favourites would have been expected to run the quinella but both performed below their best with the trainers having no excuses.

It was that sort of race on that sort of night.

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There were plenty of fireworks when the harness racing yearling sales series started at Karaka yesterday and many of them came from northern stables.

Stonewall Stud, the ownership group behind trainers Steve and Amanda Telfer, dominated the sale spending over $1.3million on 13 yearlings, including $260,000 for the top lot.

That was Lot 66, a Bettors Delight colt from the King Of Swing family sold by Breckon Farms while Stonewall also paid $220,000 for a colt by former superstar pacer Lazarus, his first big time lot sold in Australasia.

The sale was a staggering success with an average of just over $62,000, almost 25 per cent up on last year's average, which was already the record for standardbred sale in this part of the world.

Just under $6million worth of yearlings were sold yesterday with the clearance rate of 73 per cent sent to improve with sales of passed in lots in coming days.

Sales week moves to Christchurch for three more days starting at 3pm on Monday.