Racing: Auckland Reactor leaving for US

Racing's fallen hero Auckland Reactor is set to continue his New Zealand association when he is exported to the United States in a fortnight.

The champion pacer will join former Kiwi trainer Kelvin Harrison for the next phase of his career.

Harrison is a Methven-born giant of a man who is best known to New Zealand harness racing fans with long memories for campaigning North American pacer Dare You To at the 1991 Interdominions in Auckland.

The 120kg gentle giant has carved out a long, successful career in New Jersey and is a fixture at harness racing's home, The Meadowlands, having trained some of the fastest mares in pacing history.

Harrison has won the job of taking over Auckland Reactor's training after impressing five directors of Auckland Reactor Ltd in a phone conference interview this week.

The directors in charge of the $4 million pacer spoke to several leading US trainers, including others with Downunder heritage, but were impressed by Harrison's record with imported horses and his knowledge of Auckland Reactor.

"Kelvin really won them over on the phone," said Auckland Reactor's New Zealand manager John Curtin.

"He would have been a rank outsider to get the horse just a week ago but one of the owners suggested his name so we got him on a conference call and he was great.

"It helped he had seen Auckland Reactor race down here and loved the horse and he had very definite plans for what he wants to do with him when he gets up there."

Auckland Reactor will leave for the States on January 19 and will settle into Harrison's barn on a New Jersey training establishment a few days later.

He will be accompanied by his New Zealand groom Jeremy Young, who has been his constant companion while campaigning in New Zealand.

"Jeremy is welcome up there for as long as he wants and the directors are thrilled he is going," says Curtin.

The syndicate will pay between US$40,000-$50,000 to stake Auckland Reactor for the richest open-aged races in North America this year.

"We are going to give him a shot at the best races," said Curtin.

"The plan is to race him up there this year and if he shows his best he will probably be retired to stud there at the end of this year."

If Auckland Reactor doesn't fire?

"Well we aren't thinking that way but he will still have a great stud career here because people know how good he is."

Auckland Reactor's invasion of North America would have been the biggest story in New Zealand racing just a few starts ago, with planned TV coverage and huge media interest.

He then struck two shock defeats in the New Zealand Free-For-All and Miracle Mile and his career took a rather sudden detour.

Now, he will slip out of the country quietly, and unless he wins a serious race in North America, he could quickly become our forgotten hero.

Which may seem unfair considering he won 25 of his 31 starts, with two placings in $1,484,293 in stakes.

Two of his defeats came in standing-start events, while his two defeats at the Gold Coast Interdominions were not his fault.

Curtin says veterinary evidence suggests Auckland Reactor was being troubled by an ulcer on his palate when he failed in the Miracle Mile on November 29.

"We aren't making excuses but it could have been there for a while because they grow over and then only get inflamed again when a horse is under real pressure.

"But we are not looking back, he has a new career now and we are looking forward to seeing him back to his best up there."

Regardless of how the 5-year-old performs, Curtin says there is next to no chance he will race here again.

So just where he truly stands in the ranks of New Zealand's greatest pacers may not be decided by his former cap-catching fans at Addington, Alexandra Park or in Australia, but on a track on the other side of the world with hardly a New Zealander watching.

Except Kelvin Harrison.

AUCKLAND REACTOR
Breeding: 5-y-o stallion Mach Three-Atomic Lass.
Record: 31 starts, 25 wins, 2 placings.
Stakes: $1,484,293.
Feature wins: Auckland Cup, NZ Free-For-All, Harness Jewels, Messenger Pace, Taylor Mile, NZ Sires' Stakes, NZ Derby, Interdominion heat.