Top contender Special Gold and driver Kiwon Waldron started the new year off with a bang after equalling the season’s fastest time during harness racing at the National Equestrian Centre on New Year’s Day.

Lee and Sergio Raynor’s stallion posted a 1:02/2 on the way to winning the opening heat in the Free for All division from the rail to grab a share of the season’s fastest time with rival gelding War Machine that was not among the field.

“Special Gold performed quite well. He’s pretty sharp and starting to come into himself a little bit here now,” Waldron said. “It’s really around the time everybody is getting proper race fit, so times should be looking like this more often.”

Special Gold and Waldron managed to post the impressive time despite the trying track conditions.

“The conditions were not ideal at all,” Waldron, 23, added. “It hasn’t been a day I have seen yet that’s been really a good proper day to go fast.

“However, the track is starting to get better and the horses are getting fitter, so it’s starting to just up the times now.”

Waldron hopes Special Gold’s impressive display is a sign of even better things to come this season.

“I would like to hope that there’s more to come,” he said. “As long as he is healthy and stays sound we can only look for better things to come.

“Hopefully he stays on the track that we are going on now.”

Co-owner and former cricketer Lee Raynor Jr is also inspired by his horse’s progress.

“I am pretty happy, his progress is starting to come on now,” he said. “I was pleased with the performance he gave me on a heavy track. So hopefully going forward he can continue to go faster.

“We are very pleased with him, Kiwon was very pleased with him.”

Belhaven Stables’ mare Double Time and driver Candyce Martins achieved the day’s second fastest of time of 1:03/2 and Maurice Raynor’s gelding Rockeyed Optimist the third fastest of 1:03/3 on the way to victory in the second and final Free for All heat.

Belhaven Stables’ gelding Gold N Glory and driver Martins won both heats in the Junior Free for All division to achieve an impressive sweep.

Getting a leg out of the 1:05/4–1:07/4 division was Belhaven Stables’ gelding SomeGold-
Somewhere and driver Teshi Zuill after clocking a 1:04/4 on the way to winning the first heat.