Introducing Little Brown Jug Champion. p,3,1:48.3; 1:50.3h ($1,509,227) Real Desire Have No Secrets p,3,1:51 Albatross b.h. 15.

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1 Introducing Little Brown Jug Champion Tell All p,3,1:48.3; 1:50.3h ($1,509,227) Real Desire Have No Secrets p,3,1:51 Albatross b.h hands EMPIRE WORLD CLASS SIRES 2010/11 Service Fees That Make Sense 5000 Discounts Available Vicbred, Breeders eders Crown, Bathurst t Gold Crown, NSW State Bred & Breeders ers Challenge eligible Pacer of the Year 2007 Three-Year-Old Colt Pacer of the Year 2007 Leading Money- Winning Pacer $1,509, National Season s Champion, Mile Track 1: National Season s Champion, Half-Mile Track 1:50.3 Winner of the $480,000 Little Brown Jug (straight heats), $1.5 Million North American Cup (elimination and final), $50,000 Breeders Crown (elim), $195,000 Tattersalls Pace, $125,000 Simcoe Stakes, Kentucky Sire Stakes, Diplomat Series (leg and final) and Youthful Series; second in $1 Million Meadowlands Pace Final; third in the $121,000 Oliver Wendell Holmes, $104,000 Woodbine Gold Cup and the $94,000 Burlington Stakes. Bred on the same cross as the great Artsplace (Abercrombie sire line-albatross dam). 317 Tarcombe Road, Avenel, VIC 3664 Phone: (03) Fax (03)

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3 From Training Horses To Coaching Athletes After taking New Zealand's All Whites through an undefeated World Cup challenge, coach RICKI HERBERT sees parallels to his time training horses. By Garrick Knight Tracking down New Zealand's hottest commodity in the sporting world is no easy task, especially when you want to engage him about something other than what makes him famous. Still, the chance to reminisce about his time in the harness racing industry was a pleasant distraction for Ricki Herbert as he prepared for the team he coaches, the Wellington Phoenix, to kick off their A- League Football campaign recently. The hype has only just died down from the Football World Cup where the Herbert-coached All Whites punched well above their weight and left South Africa unbeaten. Despite overtures from offshore, Herbert has recommitted to New Zealand Football and the Wellington Phoenix and thus he was able to talk to The Harness Edge about his time in harness racing. After returning from playing football in England in 1986, Herbert tried his hand at different things with wife Raewyn, including a courier business, before deciding to join his father Clive at his stables. I think it was kind of out of left field to be honest, said Herbert. I hadn't really had any experience in the game. But the chance to do something interesting with Dad was a big draw card. The key thing was that it gave me the flexibility to stay with football as a player/coach which is what I wanted to do. During his time as a South Auckland horse trainer, Herbert was player coach for his local Papakura City FC from 1990 to 1992 as well as nearby Papatoetoe AFC from 1993 until securing the job coaching Central United in the National Summer League in 1996.

4 RICKI HERBERT From Training Horses To Coaching Athletes It was at that point he said goodbye to harness racing, but not before nearly a decade of involvement with good success. Herbert's father Clive takes up the story. He decided to come in to the horses with me, which was really good news at the time, noted Clive. He basically served his horse apprenticeship with me and got all his relevant qualifications through our stable. Not surprisingly, Herbert Junior was quick to succeed in the racing game. We had a really good team. Redcliffe Pass won nine races. Unfortunately he got badly injured and had to be put down, said Clive. Ricki agrees that Redcliffe Pass was one of the best he was involved with. Redcliffe Pass was a horse that Dad and I bought and kind of syndicated though good owners and friends of ours. We had a lot of success with him. The son of Pass With Care was sourced from the late, great Derek Jones (MNZM) as a three-win horse in April 1989 and went on to win six times and place a further eight for the Herberts. He ran fourth in the $150,000 Great Northern Derby at just his third start for the stable before being put aside for a spell. He even returned to his roots in August 1990, traveling back to Christchurch and defeating arguably New Zealand's greatest ever race mare, Blossom Lady, in a free for all standing start. Ricki was reminded of Redcliffe Pass not five days before our interview when the Wellington Phoenix played a scrimmage match against an under 20s team at the now defunct Hutt Park Raceway on the outskirts of Wellington. We actually played there on the weekend. It was kind of eerie being back there seeing how it is now. I remember it well because Redcliffe Pass ran fourth in the Wellington Cup there one year. The appropriately named Captain Riki was another personal favourite of Ricki's. Captain Riki was obviously named after me and he was a good horse. Franco Gold was enormous and very, very talented as well. Giant (17 hands) trotter David Moss A young Ricki Herbert, who combined training horses with his dad with his playing and coaching career, is shown here looking after one of their horses in a photo courtesy of Harness Racing New Zealand. was trained by the Herberts for a period in David Moss was a strong part of it. Dad traveled to Australia with him and did most of the work with him. He was a grand old horse, said Ricki. They took over his training not long after he won the prestigious Group 1 $100,000 Dominion Handicap at Addington in November Previously the father/son combination had looked after David Moss for original trainer, Southlander John Cox, on the horse's previous North Island campaigns, but this arrangement was to be more permanent. In December, at just his second start in the Herbert stable, David Moss lowered his own national record for 2,700m by running ( mile rate) off a 40m handicap. He then won the Group 2 $40,000 New Zealand National Trot on Auckland Cup night before embarking on an Australian campaign. The son of Gekoj avoided the Interdominions on the tight Harold Park track in Sydney, opting instead to contest, and win, the Group 1 Australian Trotting Championship at Moonee Valley in Melbourne. He shaved an unbelievable 2.8 seconds off the track record that night, coming off a 45m handicap in the process. A win on the $35,000 Dullard Cup was recorded next before returning to New Zealand to win the $25,000 NZ Trotting Championship. Spring 2010 The Harness Edge Downunder

5 A commitment to quality Took his lifetime record of 1:56.4 without shoes Holder of three Australian records Dual Breeders Crown champion 24 wins from 47 starts Champion 3YO and 4YO colt, winner of six Group races and three times Group placed. Destined to become just as successful as a sire. Dual Breeders Crown champion winning by a cumulative margin of 47 metres He didn t beat his opposition...he destroyed them! Secure your opportunity to book to the new siring sensation SKYVALLEY. Booking fee $175 + GST deductible from introductory Service Fee of $3,500 + GST A Hambletonian Heritage EILEAN DONON USA Tr 3, 1:54 - $403,068 Angus Hall-Legend Queen-Legend Hanover Multiple Stakes winner at 2 and 3 Hambletonian heat winner Canada s top 2YO trotter Superb individual Service Fee $2,475 incl. GST Brilliantly bred son of Muscles Yankee ALDEBARAN YANKEE Muscles Yankee - Maori Road - Lindy Lane A son of world s No. 1 trotting sire From the famed Maori Miss family Natural speed Great temperament First crop of foals are very athletic types Service Fee $1,375 incl. GST 196 Browns Road, Nagambie Phone: Sharon Lang 1300 HRSHVN / or Fax (03) A commitment to quality

6 RICKI HERBERT From Training Horses To Coaching Athletes There are a lot of synergies between training horses and coaching footballers, and I suppose I understand it better because I used to play at the highest level as well. Most importantly horses require care and attention, and it is no different with footballers." ELITE HARNESS RACING S A1 RAPTOR WHEELS Approved for use in NZ and Australia Used by North America s top stables Traditional axle or quick release Super fast ceramic bearings and low maintenance Easily straightened or repaired Most colours available PRICE NZ $2,250 plus tax/gst or duty AUS $2,000 plus tax/gst or duty (Subject to current currency rates) **Includes freight from USA ANTHONY BUTT P.O. Box Templeton, Christchurch 8445, New Zealand Ph/Fax (64) Mob (64) am.butt@ihug.co.nz At that point, David Moss returned to Cox for good, but not before the Herberts had experienced a dream run of success at the height of their powers. We had a season there where we had a high number of individual horses winning races, said Ricki. It was rare that we would come home from the races without a horse that had featured in the money. We had a really good spell. You would think a three-start maiden would be an obscure horse to remember, but a certain filly sourced in 1987 could be deemed a valuable pre-cursor to Ricki Herbert's future success in the football coaching ranks. Ricki was very gifted in his ability to look at a horse and say 'yes I'll have a share in you' and have it turn out well, said Clive. This ability to spot talent from a raw product was no better underlined than with Mostly Milieu. There is always a strong element of luck and I kind of agree with Dad on that, said Ricki. I remember I went and leased one from National Bloodstock; a little mare called Mostly Milieu. She was nothing when I got her but I raced her a couple of times and then sold her for good money. She was beaten a head at Ruakaka, I actually thought she had won but she didn't. I think we had one other placing with her then an offer came in from Australia and we sold her. I was lucky to have a small right-of-purchase on her which meant I made a profit. It is that innate ability of Herbert's to spot potential early on that has led him to success with mostly non-professional football players. Spring 2010 The Harness Edge Downunder

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8 RICKI HERBERT From Training Horses To Coaching Athletes The Herberts had such good success that by 1991, the time came to expand. We had a heap of them and Ricki was lucky in that he had shares in a lot of the better ones, said Clive. Mike Barry leased us a property next to Roy Purdon, which I think is now operated by John Green. I put Ricki in there and it was a really good set-up; he was training x- amount of winners for us on his own. Vance Lustre wound up a C9 before he went to America. Ricki was responsible for him; he was his favourite horse. Ricki looks back fondly on his time FARMS training next to the Purdons and said he formed friendships he holds today. To look across there and see the Purdons and Tony Herlihy was a privilege and I have kept those relationships all along. When I do go to the races I make sure I say hi to Tony. By his own admission, Herbert does not get to the races enough these days, not as much as he would like to, anyway. I probably struggle to get to Alexandra Park as much as I used to. But I do watch them whenever I can. When you strip back all the layers, Formerly Yarndley Farms, BRECKON FARMS offers first class service in year round agistment, preparation of your yearlings for sale and breeding tomorrow s champions. Sandy Yarndley remains as a consultant to the farm with his vast knowledge of the Harness Racing industry. Inspections are welcome. To make an appointment pointment please contact Scott Yarndley on or Sandy Yarndley on BRECKON FARMS Ngaroto Road, RD3, Ohaupo, New Zealand TEL FAX sandy@breckonfarms.co.nz nfarms.co.nz Breeding Champions! training a team of horses is not much different from preparing a team of football players for a match. The fundamental goal is to have the athletes peaking at the right time for optimum performance. Herbert said he can draw parallels between the two and definitely garnered a lot of information from his time training horses that has helped him with his soccer preparation. There are a lot of synergies between training horses and coaching footballers, and I suppose I understand it better because I used to play at the highest level as well. There was a million people around that could prepare a horse better than me for racing at the highest level but by watching and learning you are able to identify the same ideas. Always keeping a horse fresh was a key element to success and managing the volume of work they did between performances was important. Most importantly horses require care and attention, and it is no different with footballers. Spending ten minutes talking to Ricki Herbert is all you need to appreciate the mana he commands from his players, no doubt the basic reason he gets the results he does. Clive said it is an endearing part of his son's personality and the main reason he is so proud to be his father. Ricki and I have always been very good friends, we are close and I could not be more proud of him. Shirl (wife/mother) and I both are immensely proud. He's never changed, he's never had a big head. I was blessed to be able to watch him play in the World Cup in Spain in 1982 and through the courtesy of my daughter I was able to travel to South Africa and share the most recent World Cup with him, said Clive. We have had some very special moments. Not just on the football grounds. I just saw the amount of respect the local African people have for him. That kind of thing is rare nowadays because, to be honest, it's not a friendly world anymore. Spring 2010 The Harness Edge Downunder