Since 1962, when the first of the modern-era Northam Cups was run and won by the Jack Jones trained and driven Minton Hall, there have only been four winners of the race trained by what could be described as “local” trainers.
Jesse Moore, whose stables are opposite the Burwood Park course, trained Silver Express which won the Cup in December 1976 with Hall of Fame reinsman Fred Kersley at the reins. Eleven years later the 1987 Cup was won by Toodyay based Vern Ferguson who trained and drove Star Rogue to victory. In December 2003 Wundowie based Mike Williams trained the Northam Cup winner Navigator Dee and his nephew Grant Williams was at the reins. Ray Williams trained the January 2014 Northam Cup winner Balleybofey which was driven by ace reinsman Chris Lewis.
Not only has Jesse Moore trained a Northam Cup winner he is the only local to have trained 100 winners at Burwood Park. His current tally of 180 Northam winners has only ever been topped by Fred Kersley (245), Trevor Warwick (209), Mike Reed (205) and Gary Hall (190).
David Young hoping for even better in this year’s Cup. Pinjarra trainer David Young is hoping his top-class pacer Major Catastrophe can go one better than his close second to Tas Man Bromac in last year’s Northam Cup when the gelding lines up on Saturday night. David bred the son of Art Major and the gelding has won 27 races with a further 39 places for stakes of $407,545. Although now a 10yo, Major Catastrophe is racing as well as ever and last Friday night at Gloucester Park he finished a gallant third behind Chiaroscuro and Courage Tells after racing outside the leader throughout. Major Catastrophe is the epitome of the durability of the Standardbred as he has won every year since he commenced racing as a 2yo in 2011. He was an outstanding 2yo winning the Group One Pearl Classic and Group Two Champagne Stakes in his debut season and as a 7yo he won the Group Two Binshaw Classic on the afternoon of the 2015 Inter Dominion Grand Final.
Who was the greatest horse to win a Northam Cup?
While conceding that it is impossible to compare champions from different eras the list of past winners of the Northam Cup provides plenty of material for a debate as to the best Northam Cup winner.
Two WA Pacing Cup winners in Local Product (1974) and Tarport Sox (1989) also won a Northam Cup during their careers in WA. Sixties legend Blue Pennant won the 1968 Northam Cup while the dual Northam Cup winner Sinn Fein won a Golden Nugget Championship and a Cranbourne Cup. Another dual Northam Cup winner in Zakara was placed in both a WA Pacing Cup and a Fremantle Cup and won four August Cups at Gloucester Park.
While he didn’t win a Northam Cup the greatest horse to have raced and won at Northam is undoubtedly the incomparable Mount Eden, which won his first race as a 4yo at Northam on December 17, 1970 as part of his lead-in to his famous Christmas Handicap win over No Dill.
Village Kid Sprint is again the support act for the Northam Cup. First run in 2004 the Northam Harness Racing Club’s Village Kid Sprint will be held for the 16th time on Saturday night as a support race for Cup night. Named in honour of one of the State’s greatest champions and certainly a winner in terms of popularity polls, Village Kid won 93 races and was twice named Australian Harness Horse of the Year. With 93 wins in 160 career starts Village Kid had a winning strike rate of 58.1% which for horses with more than 100 career starts is far superior to the likes of Pure Steel 52.8%, Gammalite 52.5% and Im The-mightyquinn 52.3%.
Village Kid died on April 24, 2012 at the age of 31 and was a regular at Northam leading the field out in the race named in his honour. The Village Kid Sprint has been won by some wonderful horses over the years including Im Victorious in 2013 as part of a campaign that included that season’s Fremantle Cup and a heat of the Inter Dominion. While Village Kid won’t be at Burwood Park on Saturday, his octogenarian trainer Bill Horn will be as a guest of the Northam Club.
