Racing: Faith of young horseman's father rewarded

Tim Williams drives Have Faith In Me to victory. Picture / Getty Images

Tim Williams really had no choice but to take the job that changed his life and landed him his first group one race yesterday.

Because his father would have all but disowned him if he hadn't.

Williams reined Have Faith In Me to a shock win in the $170,000 Sires' Stakes Final at Addington, heading home a trifecta for bosses Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen.

The race was full of sensation, with Have Faith In Me destroying the national 1950m 3-year-old record after a berserk early speed that saw favourite Hughie Green under pressure at the 200m mark.

Hughie didn't react well, turning his head, shying at the big crowd and then attempting to jump a marker peg before almost ending up on the greyhound track inside Addington.

He came out of the incident unscathed. Punters weren't so lucky.

None of which mattered to Williams as he raced to his first group one win behind the younger brother of Cup winner Adore Me.

Williams modestly admitted after the race he was lucky to be on the six-start star, an opportunity that came his way after he joined the Purdon-Rasmussen stable just a few months ago.

Not that he saw that coming. "I was driving back from the circuit at Nelson and got a text from somebody signed off Mark," said the 25-year-old.

"I didn't have Mark Purdon's number in my phone so I didn't know who it was. I was kinda shocked when I rang him and he explained to me Blair [Orange] was leaving and I might get the job."

Williams, who was living and working in Southland, flew up to meet his new bosses and then had a decision to make. It didn't take long.

"My Dad said to me if I didn't take the job he would pack up all my gear at home and send it down to Invercargill for me because there was no point coming back.

"And he was right. This is the opportunity of a lifetime and I am lucky to have it.

"What I do with it now is up to me."

Williams showed composure not to panic when the likes of Hughie Green were so far in front of him yesterday and both driver and horse will only get better, both having bright futures.

But you can forgive Hughie Green, who was worked over the whole race and his group one time will come.

The scary thing for rival trainers is that none of the Purdon-Rasmussen trifectamates in the Sires' Stakes are even their best 3-year-old pacer, that honour belonging to Follow The Stars, who was allowed to miss yesterday's race after racing late into the winter.

The stable's seven wins from the nine races that they had starters in yesterday was a New Zealand record training performance, with three national pacing records among their times.

But theirs weren't the only superstars on show as Stent confirmed his favouritism for Friday's Dominion with a comprehensive win in the NZ Trotting Free-For-All.

Beautifully driven by co-trainer Colin De Filippi, he led, trailed and then got on the back of key rival Sheemon at the 400m to win more easily than his margin suggested.